


Like a marriage proposal

by Thespoonmaker



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Awkward Romance, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:20:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22316206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thespoonmaker/pseuds/Thespoonmaker
Summary: The only thing Anna wants is love… will she be able to conquer it?
Relationships: Anna/Elsa (Disney)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 63





	1. An unexpected surprise

**Someone suggested to me that it would be maybe more simple for them to read in Ao3 so enjoy. Let me know what you think :)**

Like a marriage proposal

Prologue.

**An unexpected surprise.**

Her eyes fixed on the page and began to read:

_The princess and the prince looked into each other's eyes. It was a moment of fleeting attraction in which the two realized that something was happening. They approached each other and in a fit of passion ..._

And then, suddenly someone called her making her jump from the chair she was sitting on, almost dropping the book from her hands, as if she had been discovered doing something horrible. She turned to the door to see her maid standing next to it.

"Miss, are you always reading? Don't you ever get bored? " The waitress asked and the young lady closed the book, hoping that the woman would not guess the contents and smiled. "Your father is waiting for you for breakfast." The servant continued gently. "You can read later".

"Thanks Gerda, I'm coming". The young lady said quickly, closing the book, slipping it under her arm and adjusting the dress that had crumpled in her sitting. The young servant bowed and waited beside the door for the lady to reach her. So they could set off for the dining room together, as was customary to do.

Anna the idiot, so they called her. Future heiress of the Arendelle fortune, she was a young and simple girl at the time. In fact, perhaps too simple and naive for the nobility of all the northern kingdoms. The gossips would have said that rather than naive she was, in fact, lacking in intellect and common sense, but this and, in some ways even sadly, was not at all true.

She had simply been raised as the only daughter of the possessor of a once-powerful duchy who was now not large enough to count and, for these and other businesses, was in decline. She had been taught, in light of these facts and by a father who did not want to accept reality, that certain virtues, such as kindness and loyalty in a woman, counted much more than she could show off. She had been taught that a husband would appreciate this more than anything else and she had to adjust to what was imposed on her.

She had abandoned the magnificence, in which she was never interested anyway and had to devote herself to other business. His father wanted her to become the perfect wife, so he had her practice in embroidery, reading and entertainment, all virtues that, according to him, her future husband would appreciate. For some reason, Anna always obeyed orders, as if something horrible would hit her, if she dared not do it. At dances, when she was invited, she never dressed too sloppy, but not too excessive either, as was customary to do instead, if not expressly at the request of her father, and this was not favorably seen by the other royals. It was not a behavior suited to those times and especially to those minds. Ironically, in wanting to follow the rules, she found herself considered a subversive.

Her peers felt ridiculed, offended by her manner and, although they did not despise her, they did not consider her worthy of consideration. They looked at her like a stain on a perfectly white tablecloth. They thought her behavior was dictated by an idea of rebellion that was aimed directly at them and it was this that created those rumors about her. She had been labeled a foolish little girl without any discernment, as if the intellect could be measured in clothes and jewelry. In fact, she had neither one nor the other.

She was, in effect, just a little girl. They weren't wrong about that. She was a bored little girl. She spent her long days wandering around the castle, engaging in activities that were sometimes pleasant, but much more often terribly boring ones, which made her yawn and rock her head and drag her feet. Her life was neither easy nor fun, but she was fond of her young girl fantasies and the novels that the huge library of the castle provided her.

In fact, she wanted one and only one thing. Love. Not the one her lady friends kept talking for hours about, sitting in the living room. Their stories had always seemed too tragic or too cruel or too frivolous or too vulgar, sometimes even obscene. No ... she wanted romance. That passionate love that exists only in books. "Impossible", you would say and in fact it was. Anna was in love with her own idea of love and nothing else and she thought that no mortal man who was not made of paper and ink could ever steal her heart.

Tragically her father was not of the same opinion. He, closed as he was in his idea of greatness, accepted any suitor who asked for Anna's hand, whether it was beautiful or ugly, tall or short, thin or fat, without distinction, as long as it had good financial foundations behind him. Since he was the duke and, in his opinion, his first task was to make the good fortune of his dominion, before that of his own family and all the candidates, who presented themselves to him, they seemed suitable to fill the role of duke of the great and powerful duchy of Arendelle, provided they had paid. And since, according to her, she was not yet ready for the power, her suitor should have been a strong, astute and powerful man, who could also guide her in her growth to future politic. It was not difficult to find such a party. It was difficult to find a fortune that tempted her father and encouraged him to sell her.

But her ingenuity led her to have hope. Hope in the existence of such a person who was also a kind soul and hope in her father's ability to recognize him, when the occasion was presented. So every morning, she sat in front of her father for breakfast and asked him a question. It was always the same simple question, which however always received the exact same answer. No husband for her, thank goodness, not yet. And she anxiously waited for her father to decide who she was going to marry and she feared he would be a tyrant and that her marriage would be the end of her life. And so she could only dream, sunk in a library among her thousands of stories, while her father planned her future, with his ideas and his means.

But the time passed calmly and while all the other girls of her age found their husband, she was the only one, forced by her father's megalomanias and rumors about her, to remain alone.

Then came hard times for the kingdom. The famine came. A series of cold winters had brought the peasants to their knees. People had begun to die of hunger and to rebel. Those that had seemed at first only fights between peasants had turned into small riots and people had begun to refuse to pay duties. They were dark times for the economy. It had also begun to spread a certain malice towards the nobles after the French revolution and therefore, also for her father, who did not want to make discounts to anybody. At the palace they heard voices of an imminent war and her father seemed increasingly closed in on himself and refused to listen to advice that was not his own.

So, in that climate of bad temper, Anna had to admit that she was quite surprised when her father announced that morning he had found "the perfect person." It was a blow to the heart. The time had come. She knew that sooner or later it would happen, but she didn't feel ready. Perhaps her father thought that with an alliance he would save the kingdom! That breakfast, without her knowledge, would soon have vaguely assumed the bitter taste of betrayal and defeat. She couldn't complain anyway. She had gone unnoticed for years.

"I finally found who will take care of my daughter Anna and will bring honor and glory to the Arendelle family, as the gods want." The duke announced in a solemn and full of satisfaction voice, striding into the dining room. Anna and her mother, the duchess, were more than astonished to hear such words after so much anticipation and trepidation.They believed that by now he had surrendered to the evidence that nobody in the village had the fortune he was seeking for. This was definitely an unexpected surprise, and when the duke sat at the table for breakfast, as it was obvious, they overwhelmed him with questions, and he promptly silenced them, as if he had already foreseen everything. And he said nothing more about it that morning, despite their insistence.

For the first time in her life, Anna felt herself on the thorns and found her father's decision, to announce the great event and to refuse to reveal to her the slightest detail in that exact moment, cruel, but remained quiet and waiting, fearing that he, seeing her nervousness or her insistence, for some obscure reason that even she could not grasp, would punish her. It was still the Duke who they were talking about, and, like all the things he was involved in, it was a long time before the speech was reopened to Anna’s great fear.

  
Days, then weeks passed and the duke seemed increasingly busy, as if forgetful of the announcement he had made. And Anna, who could not find the courage to ask, watched the coming and going with a burden on her stomach dictated by anxiety and, at the same time, by great curiosity. She was not able to eat or read by now. That chaos in the house had never happened. Counselors, men of prestige and almost the total wholeness of the nobility of the city struggled to enter and leave the palace every day from dusk to dawn. Whatever his father was preparing had to be great or in any case of such scope as they had never seen in Arendelle and she couldn't wait to find out what it was.

One afternoon the duke called Anna to his office, much to her astonishment and relief, to finally discuss the happy new, which was not so happy after all. Her mother was there, sitting in an armchair, her arms folded on her lap and her look was apprehensive. In fact, she too had been waiting for this moment for all that time without being able to discover anything about it and this had made her very frustrated. That too was a novelty, since no one and nothing had ever escaped the duchess's inquisitive eye before then. Now she even seemed to have lost patience entirely, to the idea of so much secrecy and the fact that for once the duke had been smarter than she was. The woman wanted to know and was not the only one.

Anna’s father adviser, was well dressed and standing like a stockfish behind him. Anna wondered why he too had to attend such a private meeting, but she made no objections. She didn't dare. Not after seeing his father at least. He, sitting behind the desk, was serious with a hard expression and hands clasped. He seemed in a deep state of apprehension, which made her hope that something had gone wrong and that all this had actually been organized to reveal the nature of the cause that had also brought this engagement to failure. The duke motioned for Anna to sit down when he saw her standing beside the door and she fell silent, obeying and taking her place in the armchair next to her mother's. The two exchanged glances for a brief moment, which was much more significant than a thousand words.

The minutes passed slowly, exhaustingly and inexorably and no one dared to move or utter a word. Even the counselor, in his tight waistcoat, was so still as to seem embalmed. But in the end the duke sat upright and composed. He put his clasped hands on the desk and sighed.

"Finally I have good news." The duke began in a satisfied voice and Anna's heart began to dance a slow funeral march. "War is upon us now. We have received news that a handful of armed men is preparing to attack the building”. The duchess covered her lips in disbelief and shock. "But we will win the favor of the people with Anna's marriage. The suitor will soon arrive and his presence will help calm the souls”. He said calmly and the minutes passed and Anna was increasingly curious to find out what he was talking about, but her mother beat her on time.

"What are you talking about? We're going to be attacked! We should flee". She intercepted and the duke in response, turned to look at the counselor. The two men stared at each other in what seemed like a long, silent fight and finally his father put his hands on the desk with his palms pressed against the wood, ready to say something he hoped he would never repeat in his life.

"It is not an escape that I will discuss with you here today." He said bluntly. "We have received word that the farmers are unhappy because of the taxes, but with Anna's marriage we will have new resources and we will be able to appease them." The duchess's face twisted into a grimace. She didn't seem very convinced. "And if that were not enough, Anna's suitor promised to provide us with reinforcements." He said and now, under the duchess's inquisitive gaze, he decided to give voice to the most obvious question. "The person who will take care of our lucky Anna will be the count of the lands of southern Brandenburg. Hans Von Benckenforff. He said he will take care of our Anna as long as he can marry her on the spot ". Anna’s mother let out a horrified squeak. A mournful moment of silence fell, in which Anna tried to understand what was happening.

"Do you want to send our daughter, our only heir to that madman?" The duchess asked in horror, but Anna did not know who he was and, in a way, her horror, although large, could not be compared to that of her mother. "Our daughter! In the hands of a monster, a murderer, that ... of that depraved! You might as well feed her to the rioters. It would be a more dignified death! That man will deliver her to us in a coffin". And at those words Anna felt her blood freeze. "Whose horrible idea was that?"

"Mine." Her father thundered, silencing her and putting the discussion back on the right tracks. "In fact, the lands of Prussia are the largest and most powerful kingdom in Europe. No one will dare attack Anna there. The count would provide her with everything she needed, as well as make her rich". He said pointing to Anna. "If Anna lost the right to be Duchess of Arendelle ... and I, the Duke, have the duty to make the best of my property." The man said, thundering with anger. "And the gods wanted the count to accept, because no one will ever be more powerful than him in those lands and no one will better protect our daughter. This departure is blessed and Anna will do as she is told." And as he said it, the counselor struck his chest proudly. "I am proud to announce our agreement and all that goes with it. Anna will be safer in his hands than in those of any other. It will do her good to be guided by such an upright man”. To say that Anna was dismayed was to be euphemistic.

"Upright, you say? So you sold her. And does the junta approve this unclean blasphemy? A duchess made servant in the hands of a man like that?". Anna's mother asked in disbelief and the two men confirmed. As proof of this, the duke showed her a document signed by the junta in which they agreed to the maneuver, with great honor and privilege. A bunch of crazy old farts, thought Anna, but in light of this, there was nothing she or her mother could do to change his mind.

"Father, how could you do this to me?" Anna asked suddenly, rising, in a weak voice in the beginning and gradually higher. "I have always obeyed and respected you and this is how you repay me? Sending me to some strange foreign country in the hands of a psychopath?”. She asked again, frightened. "I was expecting a husband. Not this. What have I done you wrong?".

"Be quiet! Ungrateful daughter”. He thundered again angrily, putting his daughter back in line. "If we do all this it is for your safety and nothing else, clear? This is my decision and you will do as I tell you". He insisted. "The money we will make will save the kingdom and serve as a dowry for you and you will be able to get married in pomp!". He exclaimed to tempt her, but it didn't work. She, taken by terror and despair, tried to oppose, but the duke added. "And you will be a delightful guest and you will love each other, or how true it is that I am the duke and I do bad and good weather in this damn house, I will send you in Siberia to collect potatoes in the snow. All clear?".

"Well, I will do as you tell me, as it is right for a daughter to do, but you will never have my love or my approval. You are dead to me". And so Anna's fate finally started, without her being able to add another word. She would have obeyed, but this did not prevent her from shutting herself up in her room and crying.


	2. Flee away with me...

Chapter 1

**Flee away with me…**

After crying and tearing her hair out of frustration and becoming desperate, Anna finally came to a realization: no one could have saved her from that unfortunate situation except herself, so she got up and went to talk to the only person she knew could have helped her. Her maid, Gerda.

She found her preparing her bath for the evening and approached her to talk to her.

"I need to ask you something." Anna said in a conspiratorial tone and Gerda pulled up her interested head. "I have to find a way to escape from this arranged marriage." Said slowly the miss and Gerda did not move, as if she had not heard at all, but Anna knew that she was listening to her, she was just reflecting on her words.

"Do you want to run away?". Asked the puzzled servant and Anna looked at her as a deer looks at the hunter.

"You think I should run away?" She asked, and Gerda looked at her as if she were asking her what else she wanted to do. "Of course I want to escape, of course." Anna quickly added so she wouldn't look stupid. "What a silly question."

"Your father won't be angry?" Asked Gerda in return, but Anna knew that she was actually just testing her intentions. Anna took a moment to reflect well on her next move.

"Of course he will be angry, but I must. I don't want to get married.”

"Getting married isn't that bad... you don't even know your groom." Gerda said and Anna snorted.

"Do you want to help me or sabotage me?" She asked and saw Gerda think.

"Do you imagine, miss, what punishment I expect if your father finds out that we are having this discussion?" She asked and Anna nodded consciously.

"No one should know that you are involved, indeed." Answered the miss immediately. "You're the only person I can trust." Gerda was thinking carefully.

"Fine. I know who could help us." She said as not to be heard. "The boy in the stables owes me a favor. I can talk to him and convince him to prepare a carriage for you miss. I can get you out of the building without anyone seeing you. You just have to tell me where you want to go." She explained and Anna was puzzled. She hadn't thought about it.

"I don't know yet." Anna said sincerely. "Give me some time. As soon as I'm ready, we'll discuss the departure." She explained.

"You could talk to the guard just outside the estate, miss. I hear he's leaving."

"Really? And who did you hear it from?" Gerda shrugged and remained vague. "Don't tell anyone about this discussion. My father doesn't have to know." Gerda laughed faintly.

"Of course not. I don't want to lose my head." Said the maid as if it were obvious and Anna agreed.

"Good." Anna rubbed her hands conspiratorially and walked out of the room, but before closing the door behind her back, she added.. "Keep it to yourself." Gerda laughed and nodded, continuing to work in silence.

  
Now she should have found a place to hide, where her father couldn't find her. A task that was not easy at all. In that damn building even the walls had ears. Anna quickly ran down the stairs, heading out of the building.

A guard lived in a cottage outside the building. His name was Kristoff. He was a shy man and did not like people very much, but he was kind when asked to and knew perfectly how to keep a secret, Anna went to visit him after that discussion with Gerda.

She walked on to the rain-cool meadow, ruining her shoes, but she didn't mind. Her task was more important. When she arrived at the little house, she was silent and only then she had to admit that she had never exchanged more than one word with that man. She really hoped the rumors were true.

Anna knocked at the door kindly, once or twice, and waited in the cold of the evening. In the rush to solve that entangled, she had forgotten to wear the cloak, but the man came to open the door almost immediately, lifting it out of doubt.

He was a tall, blond man. Not exactly the Danish classic, in fact. He wore long hair, which was not often seen in Denmark and had a very thick beard. He seemed, apparently a rough man, but his very clear eyes were kind and conveyed confidence. When he saw Anna, he smiled at her.

"Good evening miss, what can I do for you?" He asked her at once with his obvious foreign accent. He had a napkin tied around his neck and his suspenders down: a clear sign that she had probably interrupted him while he was having dinner.

"I'm sorry to bother you at this hour." Anna began immediately, clasping her hands in the cold. "Can I talk to you? I won't be long." He looked at her surprised and immediately stepped aside, letting her enter the small house. It was very clean and, on the table, as Anna had imagined, sat a steaming dinner.

"Please sit down." Kristoff said, widening a chair for her. "It must be a big deal if you rushed here at this hour." He intercepted and Anna nodded. She took a seat and let Kristoff push her chair under the table. "Serve yourself." The man said, pointing to the food, but Anna shook her disinterested head and, in order not to offend him, hurried to explain the reason for her visit.

"I'm not here to dine, Mr. Karlsson." Anna began kindly. "You see, I have a big problem. I'm getting married." She said and he seemed taken aback. Evidently the voices had not spread quickly enough.

"Congratulations." He answered, but Anna shook her head again.

"There's nothing to congratulate about." She answered. "You see, that's the problem: I don't want to get married." Explained Anna and Kristoff suddenly seemed troubled. "I was hoping you could help me."

"Help you how?" Asked the man immediately, almost interrupting her, as if he had already understood where she wanted to go.

"Well, you should help me escape": Anna said, and a glacial silence fell between them in which Kristoff reflected on what to do.

"Are you in love with someone else?". It was the question, and rightly so, but Anna merely shook her head. "Then why would you want to run away?" Insisted the man, who really could not understand and Anna clasped her hands, letting out a trembling sigh.

"You see... I'm not in love, but... but I could be in the future." Eplained Anna and hoped that Kristoff would understand her reasons, even though she knew they must have seem very strange. Anna swallowed while he reflected on it. The look of him softened suddenly and little Anna could know of his real state of mind.

"Did Charles send you?" He asked and Anna was surprised. She shook her head immediately, but he did not seem entirely convinced. "Well, if it's not so, fate is really mocking us." He said and before Anna could ask what he was referring to, he added. "The point is, I should leave, too. For Norway." He explained, as Gerda had said. "My sister, who lives there, is in poor health and has no one to take care of her. However, although she is waiting for me, I will not be able to stay with her for long, because I have been called under arms."

"So I could go." Intercepted Anna and he nodded, making her realize that they had understood each other perfectly. "It's magnificent!" Anna exclaimed. "You saved me, Mr. Karlsson. I'm so grateful. I don't know how to repay you." She said cheerfully, jumping in her chair.

"I know it would be a thankless task for a woman of your rank to be subjected to the care of a lower-ranking woman, but if that's what you want, I'm going to write to my sister to let her know you're going to see her." Said the man in a hopeful tone. "You would give me a great pleasure, young miss. You see, my sister is a very lonely woman. A little company would be good for her."

"Is it a safe place?". Asked Anna to be sure she would not be found there. "Where can't my father find me?”.

"You can be assured of it." That was the answer. "No one will find you there, unless someone is a spy." Kristoff explained. "And that someone will certainly not be me, because I will leave, as I said."

"We could leave together." Intercepted Anna and he confirmed, leaving the possibility open. "If your sister agrees to host me, at least until my father changes his mind about the marriage, you will have changed my life, Mr. Karlsson. How am I ever going to pay off?"

"Taking care of my sister until I'm back from the front." And he looked damn serious. "I wouldn't help you betray your father's trust if it wasn't that we need each other right now." He said. "Don't get me wrong: I fully understand your reasons. In times like these there is nothing that men desire, more than freedom. And yet I don't think you fully grasp the consequences of your actions." Anna looked at him puzzledandedly and he hurried to explain. "What I'm telling you is that you don't have to thank me. I am helping you on a whim, because I need you and ignoring the consequences, which you, however, should think about. I don't want to have you on my conscience."

"And you won't have me." Anna said. "You are saving me from a fate worse than death. Don't doubt you're doing the right thing." She insisted trying and softening him. "Write to your sister at this moment, and I will take care of her for you, until you are back."

"A life for a life." He intercepted and Anna confirmed with much vehemence. "You must promise me, however, that you will not regret our agreement."

"I know my options very well, Mr. Karlsson." It was her answer. "And I know the consequences well. I'm not saying that lightly. Don't misunderstand my disposition of mind for naivety. I will take care of your sister at any cost." That said they looked into each other's eyes for a long time, and at last, he rose from the table, clapping over his hands with conviction.

"Well be it!" Kristoff exclaimed. "And let's hope fate doesn't betray us." He held out her hand and Anna squeezed it, pulling herself to her feet. "I'll write to my sister now. Get ready for the trip, miss. I want you ready for the day after tomorrow." Anna sent the date to mind, heading towards the door. He followed her with gentle making and opened it for her. "Good luck. You're going to need a lot of it."

"Vice versa, Mr. Karlsson." Anna answered, bowed, and walked back out into the cold evening air, with renewed hope, under Kristoff's thoughtful gaze. Now all that was left was to complete the plan.

The next morning Anna got up early, in great secret to pack her bags, but her father, with his damn schemes and plans, beat her on time and outsmarted her.

Anna was in the attic, looking for something unwieldy that could hold her belongings during the journey, when Gerda came to call her in a hurry, to prevent them from discovering her there, to do what she was doing. In fact the Earl had arrived suddenly and not announced, surprising them all, except of course his father who had plannad everything. He must have imagined that Anna would try to escape and had acted accordingly. What he didn't imagine was that Anna would be able to convince someone of the servitude to disobey him and help her without his knowledge.

As they ran to welcome the guest, Anna explained to Gerda everything she had to do. Which suitcase to take, which clothes to choose from the closet and which shoes and the servant nodded, sending everything by heart without a breath.

The Earl had arrived accompanied by a large number of servants, who of course arrived before him to invade the house. They were all forced, in twenty minutes, to put on their Sunday clothes and wait for him standing, in the scorching sun at the entrance. A warm sun of a July morning. Anna already hated him. He hadn't even arrived and they all had to be at his command. Anna even heard servants complaining as the sun hit them on the head, promising sweat and fainting. That was the moment when Anna's mother, the Duchess, with a huge hat on her head, to defeat the heat, gave birth to a certain hatred for that man, validated then, when the man actually showed up.

The moment the Earl set foot on the property, it was clear that he and Anna's father shared much in terms of character. In fact, he had a very special one.

First he showed up with his servants at full and they were more than a single person could need. Second, after making them wait all that time, he refused to get out of the carriage, except first helped by all his immense following, which required a lot in terms of additional time and space. They had to mount a ladder, help him down the two steps, and finally, they had to lift him by weight to get him down the last one. It was so pompous that it aroused lamicity among the servants waiting patiently on the stairs. And how to blame them. And finally there he was, in all his importance.

For a moment Anna thought that the chubby old man was the father of her consort. It took her a while to convince herself that he was the man. It was his father who disached any doubt when he ran to the Earl to welcome him and shake his hand, as if they were lifelong friends, and he was always the one who called off the carriage that carried him, resolving any remaining uncertainty.

"Earl, it's a pleasure to have you here. We weren't expecting you so soon." The duke lied with theatricality and at that point it was clear to everyone that it had been a frame. The two stopped to talk laughing, for a time that seemed endless, leaving them to die in the sun. Anna looked at her mother and she didn't seem happy to have another personality like her father's in the house either.

"Mother, you don't find that this Earl is... how to say...". Anna searched for the words well. "... lived?". Her mother grimaced. "Is he really the man I should marry?" It wasn't possible. Fortunately Anna had already organized herself and never, more than at that moment she was happy to have made that decision. She would have never married someone she didn't love: not under those conditions, at least.

"No one will marry anyone without my consent." Intercepted the Duchess, surprising Anna. For a moment the girl hoped that she was sincere, then on second thought realized that she had said it only out of disdain and that she would never be able to oppose her husband, whatever she had done. She was a little woman, too, in a world of men she didn't want to fight.

With this new perspective Anna followed the procession on a tour of the estate. A long and exhausting walk and then, finally, for lunch. As she was free, Gerda ran away, giving Anna hope that she would fix her luggage as quickly as possible, given how the plans had changed. Anna herself, on the other hand, found herself sitting at the table with the others and, of course, found herself seated next to her new husband.

He was a tall, green-eyed man. He must have been a handsome man in his youth, but now he was old, his fitness was lacking and the only hair left was the huge red, pointed mouffaw he had on his face. To make this quality less attractive, there was his marked and heavy foreign accent that Anna did not particularly like. He did not seem a particularly evil man, as much as, very self-centered. Just like Anna's father and with him the duke continued to converse as if they were longtime friends and kept laughing at funny jokes.

Everything seemed to be going well until the duke appointed the marriage and the talk moved on to that. It all went down in very few lines. The duke asked if everything was ready for marriage and the Earl replied that they would have to wait for the arrival of his three children. The Duchess then intruded, curious to know how old those children were and why they traveled alone. Well, it turned out they weren't children at all. The youngest was twice as old as Anna. Anna would therefore only be a trophy wife to be exhibited and subjected to four adult men. She would have gone from one prison to another. It was not a strange custom, indeed it was very common, yet it made her refuted the idea of having to be a slave to four men she did not even know.

This imprinted in the girl's mind the desire of the escape and no one could have convinced her otherwise now. This wedding had the hours counted. Anna said nothing, but remained alerted. Thank goodness the time to escape was getting closer and closer.

That afternoon, when she was free of all her obligations, she immediately went to look for Gerda and found her hiding a flannel dress in Anna's suitcase. When the young lady opened the door of her room and entered, she saw Gerda jolting in fear and then breathe a sigh of relief, when she saw who she was.

"Miss, you made me have a heart attack." She scolded the miss, returning to her work. Gerda put the last two clothes in Anna’s suitcase and stood up, shaking the dust off of her. "I've also put something to eat inside, if you're missing the food of home where you're going." Explained the servant, closing the suitcase and placing it on the bed. "You're not going to tell me where you're going, are you?" She asked her hopefully.

"No, Gerda." Anna said without hesitation. "It's better that way. No one should know, so they can't find me." She explained and the servant nodded, understanding, though decidedly disappointed. "I'll send you a letter when I'm safe."

"But I won't be able to write to you." Gerda complained. "What will I do if something happens to you?". Anna reassured her that Mr. Karlsson would travel with her and protect her. Gerda did not seem very convinced, but she did not mention it. "Couldn't I come with you?". She asked and, of course, Anna shook her head. There was no room for her where she was going.

"Now come on...". Anna said, helping her to gain strength. "Bring this suitcase to Mr. Karlsson and get the carriage ready." Ordered Anna. "Tell him we're leaving tonight. I don't want to spend a minute longer with that man." Anna put the suitcase in Gerda's hands and pushed her out of the room. "And I recommend to you Gerda, be discreet." Gerda nodded and ran away, having made a hasty bow. Everything was going accordingly to the plan; indeed more expeditiously than it should have. With her father so taken by the Earl, no one had noticed what was happening. If things had kept going like this, Anna would have been able to run smoothly. She threw herself on her bed for the last time. Soon she would have had a new life.

  
The hours after the announcement of her departure, saw Anna immensely nervous. She looked crooked, fearing that someone would find out what she was going to do. Her hands trembled and she was feeling observed. The palace rooms were sad and quiet. Just a few hours later, she said she would be free to do as she pleased for the first time. Only a few hours and a damn door separated her from her freedom. If she couldn't escape, she would have ended up in that man's hands.

At the table that evening, Anna dared not blow. She had received no new word from Gerda and she feared that she had been discovered. Anna did not know how to behave and did not know what time Gerda and Mr Karlsson had agreed for her to leave. Anna was anxious, scared and alone, but it was not for the fear of being discovered that she was so pained, but for that of being forced to stay.

Then, halfway through dinner, Gerda came to life, dispelling any doubts and making Anna breathe a heavy sigh of relief. Anna gave her a huge smile, with renewed hope, as Gerda stood next to the door, along with the other servants. She seemed agitated, but Anna wasted no time communicating with her. She would have aroused too many suspicions, so she returned to eat in silence. Outside a mask of calm, but inside a whirlwind of emotions. She felt her guts writhing painfully and, fortunately, the Earl was able to draw all the attention to himself, leaving her, happily, in the shadows.

The dinner was resolved much faster than Anna had hoped, and when she was finally freed from her obligations, she rose in a hurry and reached Gerda who was now a bundle of nerves. Anna took Gerda under her arm so as not to arouse suspicion and let herself be driven out of the room, wishing everyone a good night as she passed. When both were out, however, Anna and Gerda could be honest with each other.

"Miss..." Gerda began in a grave tone. "Plans have changed." She said. "They saw me take out your suitcase, miss. If you want to leave, you have to do it now. It's already late. Mr. Karlsson is already waiting for you." Oh... Anna nodded and found herself dragged to the entrance. Both she and Gerda went at a brisk pace. "If we're lucky, no one will stop us." She sfell out of Gerda, going down the stairs. Fortunately they did not meet anyone in their path and as they were out in the open air, they breathed a trembling and faint sigh of relief. At that point, as they were alone, they lifted their skirts and began to run, cutting through the meadows. It was really dark and it was cold.

Mr. Karlsson, in poor clothes, suited for the trip, waited for them standing in front of the guardhouse, next to the entrance gate and with him, also the carriage. He greeted them with concern, immediately opening the door for Anna, lifting her by the arms to get her up in the carriage. Anna didn't take a breath, she turned only to greet Gerda, then she saw that Mr. Karlsson was lifting her in turn, sending her directly in Anna’s arms and immediately closing the door.

"Are you coming with me, Gerda?". Asked Anna in disbelief and the girl smiled with a satisfied stance. "It's a great news, but isn't it a bit risky? Won't you miss anyone here?": Asked Anna and Gerda laughed.

"Kristoff told me that his sister will find me a job on her estate in Norway." And as she said it, she winked at her. Oh... Anna understood immediately.

"Kristoff?" Anna asked in disbelief. "Then there is tenderness between you and him!" She exclaimed, but Gerda did not have time to answer that the carriage left in a hurry, sending both of them against the seat with a dull thud. When they were recovered, Anna said, "I bet it’s me who’s going to call you a lady in the future, miss!" They burst out laughing as the carriage drove away silently and not seen in the darkness of the night. So began Anna's adventure, with her two new companions.


	3. A long journey made short

Chapter 2

**A long journey, made short**

That night it was pouring rain and maybe that's why no one followed them. That morning, when they arrived near the harbor, Kristoff was wet like a chick and trembling. Anna and Gerda covered him with a halon that they took from Anna's suitcase, hoping it would warm him up.

The port of Copenhagen was packed with people: especially sailors, who loaded goods onto ships. Anna had never strayed too far from her home, so this was a whole new world for her. Kristoff, however, prevented the two girls from getting off immediately. He first went to talk to the captain of the ship that was supposed to take them to Norway. Anna and Gerda watched the two men as they spoke, and when Kristoff returned, he didn't seem at all pleased. He opened the carriage door and went up, his beard still dripping with water.

"There's bad news." Announced Kristoff immediately, sitting down and clutching himself in wet clothes. Gerda gently placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "The captain says he refuses to let two women on board. He says it brings bad luck," Kristoff explained calmly. "We'll have to find another way to get on board." Anna and Gerda looked at each other in silence, trying to decide what to do.

"We could hide in the carriage when they load it on board." Suggested Anna, but Kristoff shook his head calmly, claiming that only people could get on that specific ship. "Let's change ship then."

"Impossible." Kristoff said, insisting. "The sale of the carriage barely covers the cost of the passage. Any other ship would be much more expensive and the controls much stricter." They all looked at each other, in a moment of intense reflection.

"Well..." Gerda began, timidly. "They don't want women on board, but if we dress like men..." At that sentence Anna looked at her as if a second head had grown on her neck and Kristoff laughed. "What?" She asked taking offense. "It's a good idea. You brought some clothes, didn't you, Kristoff?". She asked the man and he shook his head unconvincingly. "It’s better than swimming across the canal."

"You don't understand Gerda." He intercepted. "No one would believe it and if they did, it would be trouble if they found out. At best you could end up at sea. At the worst killed." At these words Anna looked at Gerda worried. That faded altogether  
.  
"Well, genius..." Blurted Gerda, pointing at him. "You find the solution then." They all fell silent and looked at each other again. In the end, after careful consideration, Kristoff agreed that this was the best idea that they could come up with. "If the miss agrees to have her hair cut..." Gerda pointed to Anna and her long hair falling over her shoulders. "It would only be for the time to cross the canal." Anna immediately raised her hands in defence. "They will grow back!" Gerda exclaimed, seeing her reluctance.

"It's not for the hair I'm worried about." Anna said immediately. "I can't swim." Explained the miss and the other two looked at her in awe. "I don't want to end up at sea." Kristoff seemed worried and scratched his beard thoughtfully, until he seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Then we'll have to make sure they don't find you out. We have no other choice." He agreed and Gerda nodded. So Anna was forced to give in. Kristoff then recovered clothes from his suitcase and allowed the girls to change, checking from the outside of the carriage that no one would peek. It was the first time Anna wore men's clothes and she felt deeply uncomfortable. Like she's naked. The men's clothes were wide and heavy. Her trousers kept falling on her knees.

"Don't worry, miss." Gerda said immediately, seeing her concern and rushing to her rescue. "We'll keep them up with a couple of suspenders." Gerda hastened to fix Anna: she slipped her shirt into her pants and retrieved a pair of suspenders from the seat; helped her wear them. The pants were finally up, but they were too long on the feet, so Gerda had to do several turns. "Perfect, miss." Announced Gerda by clapping her hands on Anna's shoulders. "Now you will seem credible. Clothes perfectly cover your shapes. You don't have to worry." Gerda said to reassure her and she succeeded. Anna nodded softly, leaving time for words to take shape in her mind. At that point they heard Kristoff knocking at the door. "We're coming!" Gerda exclaimed exasperated. "Come on... put on your shoes, miss. We gotta go. I'll help you wear them." She said kindly.

When the two girls were finally out of the carriage, Anna began to feel uncomfortable. She was afraid that someone would see her in that state, walking awkwardly in those huge shoes and laugh at her. Gerda found the way to save her hair. Gerda retrieved a beret from Kristoff's suitcase, tied Anna’s hair with a ribbon, and hid them under her hat, tmpling it over Anna's head.

"Now be good and let me speak." Kristoff said, driving them to the dock. Anna had to admit that she had struggled to walk in those shoes, while Gerda seemed perfectly at ease. Luckily Kristoff took pity on Anna and kindly offered to hold her suitcase for her. First they went to sell the carriage to a merchant down the street. Anna wanted to keep the horse, but Kristoff said it would be impossible to take him with them, so she had to give it up. They obtained a bag of coins which they immediately took with them to the dock of the ship with which they were to set sail. The captain immediately looked at them crooked and Anna feared that he had discovered them. It was like that.

"Where do you plan to go?" Asked the furious captain and he immediately turned to Kristoff. They argued for minutes, animatedly, attracting the attention of many passers-by. "I'm not going to let women on board." Insisted the man with peremptory voice. Kristoff laughed in disbelief.

"I don't see any woman here." He retorted and the two looked at each other for a long time. The captain was obviously asking him with his eyes if he really did think him that stupid. “We are dressed as men, so we are men. Have you ever seen women dressed as men?"

"No." It was the sincere answer.

"Then why should your men doubt?" It was a sensible question and the captain seemed to take it seriously. He thought about it for a long time before he made a decision.

"Well!" He blurted with awe. "But you must stay in the cabin and not arouse suspicion. If I see you on the deck, I'm going to throw you all overboard, okay?" All three nodded in unison and finally they were allowed on board. The captain exiliated them in a cramped little room, with no beds. They were forced to sit on the floor, with nothing to do but look into each other's eyes.

It would have been a three-day trip to Bergen and all three of them hoped to arrive alive.

  
The journey was one of the longest and most exhausting of Anna's entire existence. Imagine having to stay three days locked in a room without windows, without being able to go out, get up, or change out of modesty of the other. Three days always wearing the same uncomfortable clothes, sitting for hours without being able to move, crammed like animals and and the only pastime they had was a horrible card game that Kristoff had pulled out of the suitcase and in which Anna was denied. They couldn't get out of that damn room except out of extreme necessity. After two days of traveling in that horrendous manner, Anna feared that it would be boredom that would have killed her even before the captain.

Of course she had spoken too soon. On the night of the second day, a storm hit them, and Anna discovered for the first time what it was like to have seasickness. She started feeling sick and vomiting, and Kristoff was forced to find a bucket for her. That room suddenly got too small. Anna was forced to sit in the hallway, with Gerda stroking her shoulders as Kristoff tried to sleep.

"The poor thing will arrive in Bergen dead." Complained Gerda, pulling the hair back from Anna's face. "Do something, Kristoff." When he was asked, the man could be heard groaning in dissent. Anna and Gerda saw him look lazily out the door and look at her puzzled.

"What can I do?" He asked her annoyed, more from the accommodation and situations of the journey than from Anna. “She decided to flee. She had to imagine that to reach Norway we would have to cross the sea." Indeed he was right, this had been an aspect that Anna had not considered. Anna swallowed and tried to stop vomiting. She seemed to finally succeed, but she dared not put the bucket away. The ship dunted and the sound of lightning and wood bending in a gruesome way filled the air.

"You're not helping at all." Gerda called him back, returning to focus on Anna. She stroked her shoulders and hair to see if she was feeling better. "Are you better, miss?" Asked the servant kindly, hitting her hand on her back. Anna nodded and Gerda smiled fondly at her. "Well." Gerda said in a reassuring voice. "Then put down the bucket and come and lie down. You have to rest." She advised her and Anna obeyed. She finally put the bucket by the door and let herself be escorted inside.

The ship continued to sway frighteningly, to the point that, a wave perhaps too high, passed the deck's defenses and began to pour down the stairs violently. Within minutes the water was so high that Gerda, Kristoff and Anna found it at their knees.

"We're sinking!" They heard screaming outside. There were people running, sounds of water and screaming, until the door of their cabin suddenly opened. It was the captain.

"I knew you were going to bring me bad luck! If you think you can sink my ship, you will be dissatisfied!" He exclaimed and took Anna, who was the closest to the door by the hair, dragging her out. The girl did not have the time to understand what was going on when two men took her by the shoulders and dragged her kicking onto the bridge and then without too much pleasantries threw her down the balustrade.  
Anna landed in the water with a thud. She immediately tried to get back to the surface, but her shoes were still too big and her clothes were clumsy, so she continued to get to the bottom, slammed here and there by the sea currents. She tried desperately to move, and when she had surrendered, she felt two arms pull her afloat. She took a good breath of air, coughing water, while Kristoff tried to bring her to shore, awkwardly. There were moments of panic. The waves were high and menacing and the shore was a distant dark mass.

They find themselves fighting between life and death until a wave submerges them, sending them back to the brink.

Anna regained consciousness at dusk. She found herself on a cart, piloted by Kristoff, and was surprised that she was still alive after the dip of the night before. She must have lost consciousness. When Gerda saw that she had regained life, she smiled at her thirty-two teeth. Anna soon found that all their belongings were amiss, lost in the sea… so all of her dresses too.

Gerda told her all that happened after she was out. They apparently were rescued by a fisherman that lived nearby, when he saw that they were in danger. Kristoff had apparently written to his sister that morning to tell her everything on the accident and rented a cart with the small amount of money he still had left. So now they had to travel by land to Tromso. Two days it would take to be there if they were lucky.

And they were.

They continued their journey in that buggy and none of them dared to talk about the misadventure they had at sea again. The next day, at sunset, Kristoff finally announced their arrival in the city of Tromso, where her sister's summer estate was located, apparently.

Anna had not expected much, but when she saw the castle, all lit by lights and lanterns and decorated in celebration with flags and flowers almost she did not drop her jaw on the ground. In fact the castle was huge and magnificent, larger than her own house. Immeasurable and opulent. Nothing that Anna could ever have expected. Her eyes became as big as sausages plates at that sight and she stared open-mouthed. After the moment of astonishment Anna began to think that the mistress of the house only wanted to show off to make her feel inadequate. She snorted and looked away.

They walked the long road that led them to the estate, to the main entrance. The buggy circled around the fountain and Anna saw in amazement that all the servants were arranged in two rows at the entrance and on the stairs, waiting for their arrival. In the middle of the two rows, a thin, white-haired man awaited them. He was dressed all over and barely looked like one of the servants.

"The Marquise sends you her warmest greetings, duchessine and she is pleased to welcome you to her home." Said the butler with kindness and a smile, immediately helping Anna to get out of the buggy and supporting her, when the girl seemed to lose her balance. The man bowed gracefully, and Anna did the same. To these words, however, Anna was disappointed. She had expected yes, the welcome with all the servants, but first of all she wanted to meet her guest, who strangely was absent. She had not crossed the sea swimming to be ignored. She didn't know whether to feel offended by this coldness. It was curious that the mistress had not come in presence to welcome her, since besides her brother was with her, but the butler hastened to add. "Unfortunately the Marquise is not feeling well at this time and will not be here, ma'am. I will be your guide of the castle for today, if you will allow me." Said the servant and handed out his arm to Anna who snorted.

"What's my sister got?". Kristoff asked, jumping off the buggy and attracting the attention of the servants. "I want to see her." He insisted, but the butler prevented him from doing so, shaking his head.

"Master kristoff... Your sister is indisposed right now and doesn't want to see anyone." Said the man, without the slightest shadow of remorse for speaking in that way to his master and without further delay, pushed Anna forward, who allowed herself to be guided up the stairs, among the servants who bowed all, until the entrance, Kristoff and Gerda in the queue.

Rooms on rooms were in that castle and paintings and statues. So many to keep Anna's gaze engaged every second of her visit. After showing her the bulk of the rooms on the first floor, the butler led her into a secluded wing of the castle. He pulled a large key out of his pocket, opened a door and beckoned her in, but asked Kristoff to stay out in the hallway waiting for them. Anna felt shuddering and feared that he had bad intentions until a long dark corridor opened before her eyes and not the dingy room she had expected.

"This is the wing of the mistress." Explained the man softly, as if it were a secret. "The first three rooms you see are her privates." He then led Anna to the next door and opened it with another key, placing both keys he had used in Anna's hands and advising her not to lose them. "This is yours, but please mind that no one is allowed in here except you and your servant. No one has access to this corridor. Not even master Kristoff. Only you and the mistress." The room she been prepared was much larger than she could ever have expected. Almost twice that of Anna at home and this was to say a lot if you considered that this was not the home of a duchess, but of a Marquise. Also here, Anna was not the princess of the house, but a simple servant. The girl could not believe her eyes. The bed had been covered with flowers. The open closets gave a glimpse of clothes and shoes and she couldn't wait to find out what the mistress still had in store for her.

"This is the largest bedroom on the estate. It was prepared specifically for you." The butler said, when he opened the door to show her. "The Marquise wants us to let you know that you are her most welcome guest and that whatever you may need will be made available to you." The man closed the door and beckoned her to follow him. "A maid will be sent to you later to wash you and undress you for the night, madam. If you need anything else you can ask her or me directly."  
.  
"She didn't have to get to that much. I'm not here to... exercise any power." Murmured Anna kindly, but the butler did not seem to want to add anything to what he had just said. So he had been ordered to do it and so he had done. Anna doubted whether he knew the mistress's motives fully or whether he wanted to know them at all. "She must feel really guilty for not been there today, if that's the result." She whispered to herself, mortified. "Can you tell her that I appreciate that so much has been done for me?". She asked, and the butler nodded with kindness. The butler eventually led her out of the room and then out of the corridor, where Anna found Kristoff and finally the butler escorted them both into the hall. It was the largest room in the castle. So big that you had to scream to talk to each other.

"The mistress sends you her best wishes for a happy stay and hopes that this gift will please you." Finally, the butler said, giving Anna a box with a letter envelope. Anna took it, thanking him. "Dinner will be served at seven." She announced and after a hasty bow, he vanished, leaving her and Kristoff alone to return, probably to his thousand other duties. Gerda had been escorted away some time prior.

"I am her brother!". Yelled Kristoff. "Where are the gifts for me?" But no one answered him, leaving him to mutter on his own, his arms clasped to his chest and to sulk offended. Driven by an almost childish curiosity, Anna immediately opened the envelope to read the letter. It didn't say much except a 'I wish you a good stay' in a beautiful woman's calligraphy. Anna then opened the box, revealing a not-too-elaborate pendant that looked precious with sapphires set.  
  
"And what am I supposed to do for the time that I will stay here to repay this gift?". She asked Kristoff with surprise. "I can't imagine your sister coming this far just because I'm here to keep her company." Said Anna, but the man continued to mutter that he too wanted a present.

"Who understands her!" Unhinged him, stomping his feet, and at that point, the door opened to reveal a young man with his hair combed. Kristoff flashed a huge smile at him. "Olaf!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms, but the boy did not reciprocate with the same warmth. He stood before them and looked at him, clenching his eyebrows.

"Master Kristoff you are always..." Olaf grimaced. "Oh, and you must be the duchess!" Olaf exclaimed, animating himself, he bowed and he kissed her hand warmly. Anna flushed up to the tip of her ears. "I am Olaf. The counselor of the Marquise, but by the time you stay here, I will be at your command madam. I have been told to make your every whim an obligation." He showed up. "The mistress is glad to have you here. Unfortunately she is weak and could not come, but the last time I saw her she was really sorry, for not being present at your entrance to the house".

"Thank her, for her care." Anna said and the boy bowed, appreciating the gesture.

"What about me? Did she talk about me?". Asked Kristoff with hope, but Olaf looked at him, opened his mouth, and then closed it, as if he had just said everything there was to say. "Oh, come on! Is she still angry about that barn thing?". Kristoff asked, insisting. "I didn't set it on fire on purpose! My cigar had fallen!".

"One might wonder why Master Kristoff loves to sleep in the stables, for starters." Complained to Olaf, clutching his lips, and Kristoff sulked again. "However, I am not here to discuss with you, but to guide the duchess in the obligations of the evening. Tonight we plan a dinner and a bath. If you want to follow me...".


	4. An awaited meeting

Chapter 3

**An awaited meeting.**

  
The first night was terrible.

At dinner Anna didn’t eat. There was nothing that had the vaguely edible appearance of home food. As she had the opportunity, Anna got up and locked herself in her room, lying on the bed looking at the ceiling, until when she was exhausted the maid came to undress her. There was only one window in her room and it was blocked and closed by heavy curtains that didn't let the light through. Few furniture, but elegant. There was a closet and a fireplace and the last one was off. There was no firewood. A small door stood between her room and that of the landlady, left barely ajar. Anna soon discovered that the lock was broken and the door opened on it’s own volition.

The night Anna could not close an eye. Everything was so different in that big house. The candle on the bedside table had soon worn off, casting horrible elongated shadows on the wooden walls. And Anna was afraid of the dark. The darkness and the noises made her agitated. The branch of a tree that beat on the window made her jump from time to time with fear, awakening her from her restless sleep. The girl who had been assigned to her, did not seem to want to show up for any reason at her call, so much so that to drink a glass of water, after pulling the cord on her bed several times, she had to get up of her own volition with her legs trembling and her heart in her throat.

It must have been three o'clock in the morning, when she heard noises: a door open, on the other side of the wall. It was supposed to be the Marquise coming out of her rooms. The door that shared with Anna's was slightly ajar and the noise and light, though faint, that came of it kept her awake until the woman decided to go back to sleep.

It was the worst night of her life that she passed curled up under the covers like a frightened mouse. She heard sinister noises that kept her up all night and the next day she was exhausted. She couldn't keep her eyes open and she slept all morning without noticing, skipping all her appointments. When she sat down on the bed it was still dark. No one came to wake her, but that worried her. She thought they would punish her, but no one told her anything about it when they came to pick her up for lunch. No one spoke to her that much in fact. The whole castle seemed immersed in a surreal silence.

She refused to eat again.

That afternoon, Olaf was sent to keep her company, but she refused to see him. Instead, she dangled all day, dragging herself from one corner of the castle to the other like a ghost. She hoped that getting used to the environment could help her. It didn't. When the servants saw her, they changed their path. Not a word of comfort. Nothing. This foreign country... this palace, seemed to hold on to her like a prison. But no one wanted to hear her. Eventually she locked herself in her room and did not want to see anyone until evening, when her maid showed up to put her to bed at the same time the night before.

And like the night before, she couldn't sleep. She tamed her fingers on the blankets, looking at the ceiling, until at a certain time of the night she heard the door of the mistress close, the light passing through the door ajar and her steps running around the room as she went to bed. Anna didn't think she had a maid. She never heard her come in. Instead, she thought the landlady was undressing herself. Brave thing for a mistress, to learn to do it without her servants. She didn't even say her prayer before she went to sleep. She was as quiet as a mouse. Anna snorted and turned the other way, as if this might prevent her from hearing.

The third day was very similar to the second and the previous day again. Only on the fourth day, a change could be recorded.  
  
Anna discovered that her host was more elusive than she had believed. It seemed that this woman had no desire to see her, and so she wondered why she had come here, to these desolate lands. Then it finally happened. It was late at night, when, still unable to turn a blind eye, as she was shaken by horrible dreams and fear, Anna heard an unusual sound, a subdued cough, coming from the next room. It was pouring rain and the sound was faint, but she had no doubts. And that's when she remembered Kristoff's words. Never leave her alone and answer if she calls. Anna imagined that this was the fastest way to get into the mistress graces, and so she did. Anna then stood up and followed the sound to the door of the mistress's room, crouched down and peered in.

What she saw struck her. A figure, sitting on the bed, illuminated just by the moonlight coming from the window at the bottom of the wall and a candle, coughed with suffering with her hands clenched, pressed on her mouth. Tears cascaded down her cheeks. Anna was as if petrified by that sight. This was not the terrible mistress she expected. She stood watching undisturbed for minutes. The woman had snow-white hair, pulled up in a chignon and from what Anna could see she was very beautiful. Tall and graceful. She was so beautiful and delicate that a goddess seemed to her at the time because everything about that woman seemed surreal and wonderful. She quickly realized that she had fallen into her spell. Anna couldn't look away, as if she were calling her. And suddenly the woman turned and saw her, her eyes blue as the ice pierced Anna, they peered at her. She felt stripped in her underwear. Almost naked in front of that look and then, the woman's lips bent in a trembling grimace. The mistress hurried to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand and pull up with her nose. She put herself straight, as if this could erase her rigated cheeks and her red eyes.

"You must be the duchess." The woman's broken but gentle voice said. "Please come in. What do you need, madam?". Anna swallowed in a panic, finally realizing who had just interrupted. She wanted to retreat and flee, but Anna came in and stood motionless, petrified. Yet that woman did not oozed terror. Indeed, she gave her an unnatural calm and security. It was true that the devil had her own ways of being loved. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry, I'm rude, I should bow...". Groped the woman and started to sit coughing, but Anna stopped her by raising her hands.

"There's no need." She intercepted immediately. "We are alone: no one will be offended." The mistress nodded weakly, slumping back with her head against the pillow, coughing. She seemed to have a high fever. Her cheeks were flushed and she seemed confused.

"What are you doing in my rooms, madam?". Panted the mistress, with sweaty hair attached to her forehead. "Did anything happen?". Anna pondered whether to be honest or not, and in the end she said herself that if she wanted to maintain good relations with the landlady, lying to her would not be the correct choice.

"I heard you cough, so I thought you were sick." The Marquise swallowed, opened her eyes to look at her and took a while to understand the innuendo of the sentence. The woman looked at Anna as if she had been discovered to do something dreadful. 

"Oh... I woke you up." She said at last, mortified. "I didn't want to wake you up. Alright, go back to your rooms, ma'am. I won't bother you anymore... I will order my servants to change rooms, I...".

"No, you don't have to." Anna said in a peremptory tone, surprising the woman who looked at her with confusion. "Do you mind if I stay and keep you company?". Asked now the duchess and the landlady looked at her as if she had not understood the question. "Just for a while. Just enough time to make sure you're okay."

"There is no need...".

"I insist." Anna said. "You are sick and I have been ordered not to leave you alone."

"I doubt anyone can order you..."

"Do you want to offend me?" Anna asked in an authoritarian tone. The mistress breathed a trembling and defeated sigh, and then beckoned her with one hand to reach her bedside.

"Come." She said and as if guided by a spell, Anna obeyed, standing a metre away from the woman. Anna made an ungainly bow. "Let yourself be looked at, turn around." The mistress insisted, beckoning her to advance. Anna obeyed again. She took only one step and then made a slow pirouette. The mistress swallowed, shaking her head weakly and then burst ingemably into a pang of cough. Her gaze was insistent and penetrating. Only then did Anna realize she was in a nightgown and blushed, but the woman didn't seem to mind her, as if she saw through her. The mistress coughed for a few seconds, then shook her head again and cleared her voice. "Excuse me." She whispered. "Come nearer, so I can see you in your face." Then Anna was forced to reach her to the bed. Her bare legs trembled in the cold, but she said nothing for fear that the woman would be resentful.

The mistress peered at her, unperturbed, and then sighed faintly, noticing her flushed cheeks and shiny eyes. Anna swallowed and finally looked away in embarrassment.

"You don't seem to have slept."

"Pardon?" Whispered Anna in a muffled voice, making another clumsy reverence. The mistress gave her a sloered smile and beckoned her to sit next to her on the bed. It took her a while to decide, but in the end Anna obeyed and took a place where she pointed them. Now she was very close to the mistress. She could see her blue eyes peering at her, she could see her lips moving with thoughtfulness, and if Anna wanted she could even touch her. She was so young. Anna had no idea that she would be confronted by a young woman. From the way Kristoff talked about her, one would have thought of a woman now lived... but she wasn't. She was a little girl. Pale, emaciated. She may have been a few years older than Anna, but she would have sworn she was no more than twenty-five.

"Call me Elsa. That's my name." Anna quickly shook her head, opposing, without thinking.

"I could never call you by your name, my lady. That wouldn't be right." Said the duchess quickly, without thinking, and Elsa seemed very surprised by her refusal. A moment of silence fell in which Anna feared she had said something wrong, then the mistress nodded faintly.

"I was very curious to see who had been sent to be my protector." Said the goddess with a smile. That smile pierced Anna with a stabbing pain in her chest. There was melancholy in that expression. Melancholy and sadness. "And you're a pretty girl. It's a shame. I never wanted to lock you in this cage. She whispered almost more to herself than to Anna. "I don't deserve your presence, ma'am. I didn't want you in here. Not like this... not after...". She swallowed enigmatically and shook her head. "But it won't happen again." She said with firmness. "In fact, I had given up on the idea of having... A friend in here, but Kristoff... And Kai... I am surrounded by very insistent men. I'm sorry you found yourself in the midst of two different selfishnesses, madam." Elsa said cryptically. "And although you are here by now, just to quell my loneliness, know that I will not get in your way." She explained calmly.

"Get in my way?" Anna asked stupidly, looking at her hands clasped on her legs. Anna was a little girl too, she still didn't have the idea of what a woman is capable of doing then. The mistress clasped her lips without taking her eyes off her.

"I have many eyes and ears in this castle and they are all here to tell me that you are well." It was the calm response. "I have to admit That I wasn't happy when I heard that my staff can't make you happy." She said and this time Elsa's tone had become almost harsh and indifferent. "I had thought about laying off the staff, but what's the point of it, right?" She asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The problem seems to be me. I hear you've asked about me many times. I've had a lot to do and I'm sorry. And I have to admit... I didn't want to see you... What can I do to make you happy, madam? I want you to know that whatever you wish for, I'm willing to give it to you. You just have to ask." They looked at each other in silence.

"Why do you want to make me happy at any cost?" Anna asked. The mistress turned, with a resentful expression. Anna noticed the squeaking in the woman's eyes and felt guilty for asking that inappropriate question. It seemed that in front of her she had forgotten every etiquette rule she had learned until then, but if the woman felt offended, she did not show it. She just looked at her.

"You're here for your own protection, Anna, and then no one wants to be alone. Not even a monster like me. Would you like to?". She asked and Anna shook her head instinctively. The mistress smiled, nodding. "I imagined." She said only, calmly inhumanely. "Would you stay if you were unhappy, far from home? Would you rather I force you to stay or would you rather do it of your own accord?" Anna looked at her in silence and then understood. She wanted to buy her happiness because she feared she would run away. Anna hadn't expect it. The mistress finally sighed. "Good girl." She said and Anna was driven by a shock of pleasure that crossed her back. Good girl. No one's ever told her that before. "Now go back to sleep, ma'am, I don't want you to be tired tomorrow." And so she had her answer and her leave, Anna stood up, as if in a trance, bowed and vanished leaving the mistress to her malaise. The experience was so surreal that the next morning, as soon as she woke up she wondered if it was all a dream.

She soon got up of her own accord and went down to breakfast. The servants were all suspicious of her. The boy who handed her breakfast, tiptoed her and ran away, as soon as Anna looked up. She ate in silence and, perhaps, noticing her quiet mood, someone decided to send to call Kristoff who surprised her halfway through the meal. The man bowed and sat next to her in total silence, eating in turn. He said nothing. Maybe he didn't want to be annoyed, but Anna had great news and had to talk to someone about it, or she would explode.

"I met your sister." She told Kristoff that morning at breakfast and he seemed immensely surprised. He even stopped breaking his eggs into his plate with a fork to look at her.

"And how did it go?" He asked in turn approaching with conspiratorial intentions.

"But how, didn't she tell you?" And the man shook his head. He said it was no secret that the mistress did not love the company. She was a very shy woman apparently and Anna felt special for a moment. "Oh, she's beautiful and kind and…”. Anna began and told all about their conversation. Kristoff said nothing but in his gaze Anna could see the admiration. "And she told me she's willing to give me everything I want. I just have to ask." She finished and Kristoff laughed.  
  
"And what will you ask, miss?" The man asked curiously and Anna suddenly felt stupid. Because she still didn't think of anything. What on earth could she have asked for?

"It's a secret." Anna said, and the man sulked. Then Anna laughed and the breakfast ended with an argument. Kristoff seemed really reluctant to forget the subject, because he kept inquisiting what she would ask when the time came and Anna didn't really know what to answer.

"Tell me, please." Insisted. "I promise not to tell anyone! You can trust me." Anna was about to retort, when she heard a familiar voice coming from the corridor. That was...? She pulled herself to her feet like a spring. "Where are you going? We're not done talking yet!" Blurted Kristoff, but Anna pointed her index finger under her nose and beckoned him to remain silent. The voice now became clearer. Yes, it was her.

"I have things to do." Said Anna quickly, making her way, but then she realized that Kristoff would certainly follow her and turned around. "Women's things. Stay here. We'll talk later." And that said, she rushed out. The corridor was now deserted, but the voice was loud and clear. Anna followed her on tiptoe not to be heard and finally, turned the corner she saw her. The mistress was arguing with Kai about a piece of parchment she was holding in her hands. Anna hid at once and stood watching.

"I want the labourers to be notified by today. I want all possible men, ready for sunset tomorrow at maximum." Said the woman calmly and the man nodded. "And find me a bounty hunter. This werewolf thing has gone too far, people are starting to get nervous.” Kai nodded again and walked away, while the mistress took the opposite direction. Then Anna followed her in silence, hoping not to be seen. She just had to find the right time to talk to her in private now that she was alone.

Anna saw her enter one of the bathrooms down the hall. On tiptoe Anna followed her and ajar the door. She saw her rinse her face a couple of times and then look in the mirror with a funereal look. She didn't have felt well at all, and Anna wondered if it was really the right time to bother her. But just when she had decided to leave her to her business, Elsa turned to her and saw her. Anna faded and made to escape, but Elsa stood up straight and gave her a fierce look.

"Didn't your parents teach you that you don't spy, ma'am? It's the second time I've surprised you." She said angrily and Anna stood still. "It must be something urgent if you bother me here too." She said and ordered her in with a nod. Anna obeyed and closed the door behind her. "Then, what is it?" In this light she looked like a different woman. Always beautiful, but less surreal... more humane. Her skin was pale and under her blue eyes Anna could see deep dark circles. She even coughed, covering her lips with her hand covered with a white glove. Anna felt less frightened now.

"My lady I...".

"I don't need a nanny. I've already told you." She said with peremptoriness and Anna swallowed, lowering her gaze. "If it was just for that, you can leave now." Anna remained motionless in silence and Elsa had to realize that she had exaggerated, because she sighed and leaned on the sink. "I'm sorry my lady, I... I'm not well. How's your stay at the palace going? I haven't received a single request throughout the day. Usually when I say they can have it all, people start asking. But you...". Said the mistress, looking at Anna with a strange glance. Her eyes were vitre, absent, as if they did not see her at all. Her bent eyebrows gave her a pensive air and her lips were bent in a grimace. The mistress began to beat impatiently with her fingers on the marble. Before coughing again. Perhaps it was true that she was poor in health, but Anna did not have the courage to ask. It would have been indelicate. The woman then cleared her voice and started over. "How do you feel today?" She asked this time kindly. Anna opened her mouth and gasped for a few seconds without ever giving her a real answer. Anna stared at the void for minutes. Elsa clasped her lips and didn't seem at all satisfied. "You're depressed." She said and it wasn't a question at all. Anna sighed and rubbed her face in an exhausted way.

"I'm sorry, my lady." Said Anna and she was mortified and Elsa seemed very surprised by her words. Anna softly bit her lips and grimaced. "I miss my house." She said and Elsa nodded. This was obvious. "I miss my servants... my things...". Almost Anna didn't burst into tears and Elsa noticed.

"I'm sorry Anna, I can't do much about it." She said bluntly. Why don't you go out of this castle? The fresh air will do you good. Besides, I don't want you in the way all day. It bothers me that you follow me everywhere. Is that clear?"

"Can I go out?" Asked Anna stupidly and Elsa looked at her as if she had grown a second head, frowning.

"Did you think I wanted to keep you in here?" Elsa asked, confused, and Anna could be heard blushing with embarrassment. "Of course, you will be accompanied, to prevent you from getting lost, and you will have to stay within the limits of ownership, but you can go out."

"Aren't you afraid that I will try to escape?" Elsa's eyebrows almost touched and eventually shook her head.

"What would be the point?" She asked her so innocently that Anna almost felt sorry for her. "You wanted to come here, didn't you, madam? We have our pact and I consider you, certainly always at first glance, a woman of word. You'd never bother me, would you?" The two looked at each other for a long time and at last Anna nodded faintly. Attempting would not hurt and somehow Anna had to admit that it would sadden her to disappoint the landlady after the kindness she had used her.

"Thank you." Said Anna at the end and Elsa seemed to soften.

"Be careful, madam. There are shady guys all over the place these days, and no place is safe. You're going to have to be accompanied by someone at all times." Said the mistress with care.

"What do you mean?" Asked Anna and Elsa bit her lips unsure whether or not to tell her and eventually she decided for the first one.

"People say that a werewolf has been wandering around the city for a few nights. He only kidnaps women and we don't know what they're doing. For your own safety, it's better that you don't stray too far, you know? I'm working on a solution, but until then I want you to be alert." Anna nodded. "Okay..." Whispered Elsa at last. "You can go." Then Anna made to leave, but before she could get out, she found herself turning around.

"My lady... could I make you one last request?" Asked Anna and Elsa agreed exasperated and probably eager to be alone. "Could I come to you if I need it?" She asked and the mistress swallowed.

"You can come to me anytime." The woman said and this time her tone was kind and almost shy. Anna smiled at her, bowed, and went out, closing the door behind her. But she did not leave and lay there for minutes, trying to understand what the mistress was anxious to do in that bath alone and Anna heard her sobbing. She shook her heart at the thought of a beautiful woman like that suffering so much. At last Anna felt too much and walked away, returning to Kristoff.


	5. A strange trip

Chapter 4

**A strange trip**

"So what do you want to do, miss?" Olaf asked at breakfast the following morning. Anna looked at the plate with a glassy and empty look. Maybe she shouldn't have accepted that deal after all. Now she didn't really know how to move. Anna didn't know the place and she couldn't think of fun activities to do. Olaf looked at her for minutes and finally, realizing that she wouldn’t answer, he looked back at his plate. "You got into trouble, eh, miss?"

"Yup…". Anna murmured. “I only know that I have to get out of this castle. If the mistress sees me, she will be very angry, but I don't want to stay in the gardens. I want to see the city."

"Well ... that's not a problem at all. If you trust me, I know where we could go. I promise you that the mistress will not notice your absence." He said, winking at her, a clear sign that he wanted to bribe some servant and Anna motioned him to go on with curiosity. “I'm still your guide, after all. Trust me. Have your servant called and tell her to prepare a packed lunch." And so Anna had to do. It took most of the morning for the preparations, but in the end all four of them managed to get out in the open air. Anna and Olaf in the lead and Gerda and Kristoff, who had insisted on coming too with the lunch basket under one arm, in the tail.

The air was warm and the sun was beating hard on their heads, so much so that at a certain point Gerda had to take a hat out of the basket and put it on Anna's head to shelter it. They walked for a long time on the road that led out of the estate, then Olaf took them both under his arm and led them to the stables. He borrowed an open carriage and, after helping them up, drove with Kristoff, whistling with a huge smile on his face.

Olaf was a really nice guy. His dark hair fluttered here and there in the light summer breeze. His pants were folded on his ankles held up by suspenders and he was wearing a white shirt today. He could easily have passed for a farmer to a careless eye. He hadn't even worn a hat, so his face had turned red with time, which had made his blue eyes stand out. At one point, he turned to look at Anna and smiled at her with a toothy tooth. Anna blushed faintly and turned to look the other way.

“Didn't you put on too heavy of a dress today? I see you’re hot". Olaf said at some point. But Anna was not certain that it was the dress that flushed her cheeks and she didn't answer. She was not used to the attentions of people.

They crossed the countryside and Anna discovered that Gerda was a talkative little pal. They had never had the pleasure of knowing each other so deeply before. Gerda jumped up happily every time she saw animals passing in front of her and greeted anyone who came within range. Only now did Anna see her true nature outside the castle. She was like a little girl. Small and agitated, with long brown hair that fell on her shoulders, nothing to do with the silent self that never showed up, that Anna had known at home.

"You seem happy". Anna told her at some point, out of pure curiosity and perhaps it was her biggest mistake. Gerda started talking. She told her that she had older brothers at home that prevented her from doing anything. And she kept talking and talking and Olaf joined the conversation at some point and then everything degenerated into loud laughter and singing and screaming. Everyone in this damned country seemed to be hungry for conversation. All except the mistress, of course, and her palace servants. Anna imagined that that lugubrious air made them all a little silent.

They finally arrived at the place suggested by Olaf. A vast expanse of grass surrounded by sunflower fields. Gerda immediately jumped off the carriage and started running, perhaps to chase a butterfly or maybe just for fun, who knows. It was Kristoff who brought her down to earth. Together they pulled a blanket out of the basket and laid it on the lawn. Anna sat composed on the blanket, as she had been taught and watched the three go hunting for rabbits or dancing hopping. Once or twice they even managed to snatch a smile from her, but for the most part she was simply happy to sit there in the sun enjoying the outdoors and the heat. She had never been made for excessive physical enjoyment. If she ran too much she risked being sick afterwards. She couldn't compete with those three anyway.

Anna then discovered that Gerda had had sandwiches prepared for them and Anna ate at least three, hungry as she had been since all those days when she had eaten barely. Then she went limp on the blanket and closed her eyes, lulled by the shouting and the songs. When she recovered, she discovered that someone had covered her face with her hat to avoid her getting burned. Anna found Gerda and Olaf playing cards on the rest of the free cover and apparently the boy was soundly losing. Kristoff was gone somewhere in search of herbs.

"Hey, Gerda ...". Anna began calmly. "Can I ask you a question?".

"Anything you want, miss." Hummed smiling the girl and throwing a card on the blanket with great regret for Olaf who grunted defeated.

"What do you know about the mistress?" Anna asked and Olaf seemed to stiffen suddenly. His good mood suddenly ruined. Olaf looked at Anna with surprise. He probably didn't expect her to be so direct about it. The girl continued to look at the cards in her hands as if nothing had happened, smiling.

"I don't know what you're talking about, my lady." The girl tried, but it was evident that she was lying. "I could hear very little from the kitchens...". She whispered, but then she had to notice Anna's persistent gaze and sighed. “Don't take it personally. I have been asked not to tell anyone about it." She explained, hoping to save herself with that bland excuse.

"But I'm not anyone, Gerda. I am your young miss." Anna said and the girl seemed to stiffen more. She stood as still as a statue and finally put down her cards resignedly.

"What do you want to know?". She asked and Anna smiled victoriously, ignoring the worried look that Olaf gave her.

“Everything you know, of course. Don't you think that woman is damn mysterious? Nobody wants to tell me anything about her." Anna said and sat down composed. The girl looked at them both and bit her lip.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone, miss?". Gerda asked and Anna nodded curiously under Olaf's worried gaze. “It seems that the mistress has secrets. It is said that she changes servants every six months. You knew it, right?". She asked and Anna looked at her incredulously. She gawked at Gerda like a hawk over her prey, motioning for her to move on. “But gossip has a long life, if you understand what I mean. Nobody talks about it, but the mistress got married". She repeated. “With a southern prince. Except that ... ". And suddenly she became taciturn and refused to speak.

"Except what?". Olaf asked insistently, giving her a little push. "Come on Gerda, don't keep us waiting!".

"But how, Olaf ... didn't you know anything about it?". Anna asked curiously and the man shook his head, gesturing for Gerda to continue talking.

“It's just said that on the wedding night she cast a spell on him. The people here believe that the mistress is a descendant of the goddess Freya no less." She explained and both Anna and Olaf rolled their eyes. Here they were with popular stories and all those stupid things. Even Olaf seemed exasperated. Spells and all that nonsense. The last witch had been hanged a few years earlier, nobody believed in spells anymore! "It is said that the mortal who touches her ... dies." Anna snorted. It was so pretentious and exaggerated!

"And what happened to the prince?" Anna asked quickly. She felt compelled to ask. There had to be a background of truth behind all those crazy stories.

"He obviously died." The girl answered as was obvious and Olaf looked at Anna nodding. This was to be what he had heard. “But it wasn't she who killed him. A careless handmaid is said to have prepared a too hot bath and that the prince died burnt, falling inside. She confessed ". Gerda explained. The mystery seemed to be getting thicker. "And then…".

"There is more?". Olaf asked incredulously and the girl nodded secretively.

"The cook told me that the mistress had a lover before getting married."

"A lover?". Anna asked in amazement. Not for the fact itself of course. The mistress was really beautiful and Anna did not struggle to believe that someone could fall in love with her, but rather she wondered who was so crazy as to ignore all those legends if they seemed to have a bottom of truth!

"A girl". She explained and Anna and Olaf were more surprised than ever. Anna's jaw hardly touched the floor in amazement. “But she is said to have died two months earlier. Throwing herself out of a window and since then the mistress had all the windows of the castle blocked, for fear that someone else might decide to do the same". Olaf nodded and patted his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Good girl Gerda... Nice story. Here is a sovereign for your help. If you happen to know something else...". The boy said handing her a coin, which the girl hastened to take, but at that point Kristoff arrived and suddenly speaking about his sister in front of him had seemed inappropriate.

"You guys are having fun?". Kristoff asked and they nodded cheerfully. "Well. I am pleased to". The man said embarrassedly, rubbing his sweaty hands on his linen pants and looking around. "Gerda, come. I have to show you something." He said and Anna and Olaf looked at each other in confusion when Gerda blushed and stood up. The girl stood up, bowed, and ran away, as if she were happy to get out of that entanglement. "We will be right back." Kristoff said, but there was something in his voice that suggested he was lying. Olaf and Anna more out of modesty than other let them go. They saw them disappear beyond the horizon without a word.

"Do you believe Gerda?". Immediately asked Olaf in a conspiratorial tone and Anna twisted her nose. She wasn't sure. It all seemed too surreal to be true. "What reasons would she have to lie?".

"What reasons would she have to not doing so?" Anna asked again. "She's a girl! I'm sorry to admit it, but she’s not... educated like us Olaf. She'd believe everything. Besides, I don't believe all these strange stories of curses and so on. There must be something underneath." Anna said and he nodded unconvincingly.

"Be it...". Just said Olaf and turned to stare at the spot where the two had disappeared. "But I don't think we'll be able to find out much else, I'm afraid." And on this note, Anna feared he was damn right. They were forced to let the subject be, because Gerda didn't seem to know much else, but Anna convinced herself that it was enough. Now she knew. Truth or not, it was nice to be part of something once in a while, even if it was so lugubrious. "Let's go see what they're doing." Suggested Olaf.

"Wait, what?". Immediately asked Anna who had a bad feeling about it. "We shouldn't disturb them."

"We won't disturb them if they don't find out." Olaf said and stood up, holding his hand out. "Are you afraid?" It was not fear that she felt, rather modesty. She'd heard rumors about what a boy and a girl were doing when they were alone and she didn't want to go inside it. Then Anna shook her head. "Then come." Olaf said, insisting. "I need to confirm something and I need you to come with me. You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Anna sighed and at last took the hand that the boy held out. The two started silently like mice in the street.

"What exactly do you want to confirm?" Anna asked, and he remained strangely silent. They found a well-hidden spot behind a pile of bushes, and Olaf had her spread out on a pile of dry leaves so that her dress wouldn't get dirty, then took his place next to her. Kristoff and Gerda were talking now, metres away without noticing them.

"Have you ever fallen in love, Anna?". He asked her with shameless confidence, but Anna did not get offended. She thought about it seriously and shook her head calmly. "Have you never wondered why?". Anna swallowed. There could have been many reasons, she thought. She had never had much time to meet men at home. She shrugged. She didn't know. "Well, I think I know why you never fell in love." He said it with conviction. "Look at them." Olaf said, and Anna nodded, obeying. Kristoff and Gerda had started kissing. It was nothing so exceptional, Anna thought.

"They kiss." Said the girl in an almost aseptic tone and Olaf nodded, forcing her to keep watching. Things went up quickly. The two continued to kiss, then for some strange reason, Kristoff lowered his pants. It was the first time Anna had seen a man's nudity, but she didn't find them as fascinating as she would have believed. The shape of a naked man was neither beautiful nor interesting. Anna continued to look without understanding. "Why do you want me to see this?".

"How does it make you feel?". Asked Olaf, keeping watching, without a modicum of shame.

"How should it make me feel?" Anna asked. "It makes me feel like we're spying on other people's happiness. It's not nice Olaf." Anna said calmly. Olaf nodded, clapping his hands on the soil.

"Nothing else?" He asked, and Anna sighed, kept looking. The two were now giving themselves to activities that Anna had never seen until then, only and barely heard of. Anna shook her head again. What else should she have felt? "What do you think about it?".

"I find it a little ridiculous." Anna said without thinking and burst into a faint laugh. Olaf now gave her a huge smile. "But I'm sure it's just because I don't have much experience about it."

"Don't you feel excited? It doesn't make you want to... touch yourself?". Anna tilted her head and thought about it... she eventually denied it again. "You see my dear Anna. I think the two of us are a little bit the same." Olaf confessed. "I don't particularly get excited about this theatre either and it's not that I miss experience like you, it's just that... it's not for me. You know what I mean?". Anna looked at him curiously now. "Interest in these things, my dear Anna you do not learn. Do you know what I think?" Anna waited. "I think if I were in Gerda's place, I might be interested. Kristoff is a really nice man. Don't you think?" Anna didn't take long to figure out what Olaf was trying to say.

"You are interested in men...". Said kindly Anna and Olaf nodded. "Are you more interested in men than women?".

"That's a good question." He said. "You understand Anna that a person is not unilateral as everyone thinks. The man is always changing like water. You can try to put water in a box, but that's not going to stop it from living on, you know what I mean? It's just going feel locked up”. He Explained. "Do you know what love is?" He asked and Anna found out that in front of Olaf, she knew very little about that subject. "Few people know." Intercepted him, pointing to the two lovebirds. "That's not love. That's just pleasure. Love is different. Love is like fire Anna. It's the most exciting thing you've ever seen. It will give off so much heat that you will feel overwhelmed. Be careful though: Love is pain. You can't grab it, but it will still make sure to hurt you if you touch it. You can only watch it from afar, but if anything, you decide to take it... Anna, don't try to put it in a box. It will die. Let yourself be consumed by it."

"What are you trying to tell me?". Asked Anna now with furious interest and confusion and Olaf shook his head.

"If the love you're looking for is different from what you've always thought, don't kick it out, because it'll never come back and you'll have missed your chance."

"That's what happened to you?". Anna asked, and at last Olaf nodded faintly. "What happened to him?".

"He killed himself." He said it calmly, but it shocked Anna in her soul. Anna didn't understand what the boy was trying to tell her. She didn't know where he was going, and that started to haunt her. "Let's go. I've had enough." He said and stood up, offering her a hand to help her get to her feet.

Then the evening finally came and it was time for them to return. Gerda fell asleep on Anna's shoulder, exhausted as she was and did not move until they arrived. Kristoff, upon their arrival, was forced to pull her out of the carriage and hand it over to Kai who was waiting for them at the front door. And there they were again. The silence welcomed Anna and all the joy of the day left her to make way for a sense of restlessness. She left Olaf, with the promise that the next day he would take her to an equally amazing place and return to her rooms to reflect on what she had discovered.


	6. What is love

Chapter 5

**What is love?**

What is love? After that discussion with Olaf, Anna couldn't help but wonder. She had always thought that love was to find someone decent human being, that treated her well and to set up a family. But after what the boy had told her, Anna was no longer so sure. She had always wanted the romantic love of books, but... what if that wasn't the real thing either? Now Anna was really confused and didn't know where to go and bang her head. It was like walking on a rickety bridge.

She had tried desperately to fix her eyes on someone now, hoping they would catch her eye, but no one seemed up to it. No one was like fire to her. No one made her heart throb. Finding out that none of the men in the palace was enough for her had been a disappointment. It was like rediscovering herself a puritan and not being happy with it. Olaf also didn't give her any other ideas to work on, so she had to grope in the dark.

She had not even had the consolation of seeing the mistress in those days, and Anna had to admit that she no longer had the courage to bother her, after the woman had been so clear about Anna's position in that house. Elsa, for her part, had never sent her to call and so, as a common agreement, they had taken to avoiding each other for their lives. Not that Anna liked it, of course. That was not the reason she had traveled so long for.

Anna did not believe any of the stories that were told about that woman, but the others seemed sure that the mistress drew death on those close to her and Anna had no trouble believing that, over time, these prejudices could have clouded the ideas of the mistress somehow. Being one in that position wasn't supposed to be fun at all. Anna wondered how lonely that poor girl must have felt.

On the other hand, Anna had begun to spend a lot of time with Olaf and Gerda and Kristoff and her nostalgia for the mistress had become almost a distant memory. Those three kept her busy most of the day and Anna didn't have the material time to think and be alone by now. This forced distance from the Marquis, however, had begun to worry Olaf, for some strange reason that Anna could not grasp and so did Kristoff, who thought that the girl was beginning to repent of her choice to come in that absurd country. It wasn't like that. Anna was just unsure about her next move.

"You don't talk much about the mistress anymore, miss. Did anything happen between you?". Olaf asked her one morning while they were playing cricket in the palace garden, beating Kristoff, who seemed to die from wanting to ask the same thing, on time. They had settled everything perfectly on the grass, but Anna was denied at that game and made very few points. Gerda, who could not play, sat on the grass and watched them argue with listless doing, eating the end of a daisy.

"Nothing happened." Said Anna and hit the ball for the umpteenth time and sent it farther than it should have. She snorted and clung to the ground in anger. This damn game! "It's just that I didn't find the right opportunity to see her, that's all." Explained the redhead, and Kristoff confirmed as if he understood what she was referring to. "She hasn’t called for me and I can't follow her everywhere. Even if it didn't bother her, wich it does, we don't have much in common. I don't know what to talk about with her." Then said the young lady sincerely.

"You should try to get into her graces." Intercepted Kristoff, taking his place with his bat. He took aim and lightly hit the ball that crossed one of the rings. "My sister is not an easy fellow to sweeten. You have to commit. If you continue on this path, you will never get anything with her." He made it easy, but he failed to tell her, when he convinced her to come, that his sister was, as it were, a girl who didn't really like company.

"Why don't you try inviting her to have a tea?" Gerda asked. "No one refuses tea." She said as if she knew her long. "I hear that the mistress is crazy about books. That would be a good cue for a conversation."

"Well, it explains why she always carries the library key as if it's a relic. I haven't been able to get my hands on one book since I've been here." Snorted Anna annoyed and Olaf laughed, beating a shot and making ten more points. "Do you think I should try?" Asked Anna wearily and everyone nodded. "Obviously." Grunted the girl, sighing.

"I don't understand why you're so reluctant." Intercepted Olaf winking at her. Anna did not understand what he was referring to and looked exasperated up to the sky.

"She is...". Unreachable. On another level. "... Difficult. I mean, look at me..." Anna pointed to herself. "Of what help could I be? I'm good at a lot of things, but making me loved by people who don't want me isn't exactly my best quality. I lose patience too easily." Whispered Anna and Olaf hurried to shake his head quickly.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Anna." He defended calmly. "You must try to learn. And then you must not doubt: the mistress is really fond of you." Explained Olaf and Kristoff nodded silently, beating again.

"There is no evidence." Specified Anna, and Olaf shrugged as if he didn’t see the bottom of truth in Anna's words.

"What are you afraid of?". Asked Gerda and Anna swallowed without answering. Good question. She would never dare say it out loud, it would sound strange, but the truth was that the mistress... terrified her. There was something about that woman that made her deeply uncomfortable. Anna didn't know exactly how to explain it. At one point, as if she had been called, Anna was sure to see the mistress's face popping out of a window on the second floor. When she saw her, Elsa smiled at her shrewdly and greeted her naively with one hand, unaware of what was being said about her and Anna almost had an epileptic seizure. Anna reciprocated, raising a hand shyly, with a slit smile. This went on for minutes. Anna totally isolated from what happened around her, this until she remembered that they were all still there. When she saw the way everyone stared at her she blushed and her smile fell.

"This game doesn't entertain me! You go on!" Scoffed Anna humiliated and made to leave, slamming her feet, in an attempt to save her face, when Olaf, determined not to give her a reprieve, chased her and grabbed her for life holding her tight and laughing. Anna tried to wriggle out, but he laughed louder and turned to look at the window from which the mistress was looking at them curiously. Anna also looked up and this time she saw confusion in Elsa's eyes. This made her uncomfortable.

"Let me go, Olaf." Intimated Anna, but the boy didn’t hint at freeing her from his grasp. When Anna looked up, Elsa snorted and vanished into the room. What a disappointment. Anna gritted her teeth and sulked.

"She’s the problem, isn't she?". Asked Olaf softly to Anna’s ear, and Anna felt the saliva go sideways. She became crazy and looked away from the window, to look at Olaf. He was damn serious. Her heart began to beat like a drum in her chest, and Anna didn't know what to say. He gasped. "Listen Anna... The speech of the other day, didn't it help you?" He asked and Anna looked at him with confusion. She was still trying to figure out what Olaf wanted to tell her. He wasn't really clear. "Come inside, I want to talk to you." And that said, he pushed her into the building, where the other two friends couldn't hear them. Olaf dragged her into an empty tea room and forced her to sit on one of the sofas. "Tell me what the problem is." He said and Anna prepared to retort, but from Olaf's gaze, she realized that she could not get out of that situation by lying.

"I feel inadequate." This was Anna's answer, among all those she could give and Olaf, suddenly changed his expression. He wasn't angry anymore. Anna clasped her hands on her legs and began staring at the floor, mortified. Olaf, took a seat next to her and stroked her shoulders. "She doesn't like me."

"That's not true..." He said calmly. "It doesn't do you good to be so insecure Anna, I say it for your own good." Anna shook her head and continued not to look at him. "If you saw what I see, you'd change your mind."

"What do you see that I can't?" Asked Anna with confusion and he smiled at her without answering.

"Do you want advice from me?" The boy asked, and she nodded faintly. "She's as shy as you're insecure, you know? You have to use it to your advantage." He said, pointing a finger at her chest. "You have to go to her and force her out of her comfort zone. That alone can save you."

"I don't know how to do it." Anna tried. "She scares me to death." 

"You too." He said, bursting into a faint laugh and surprising her. "If you could see the way she looks at you..." Olaf continued to laugh, while Anna continued to misunderstand. "What I'm trying to tell you is obvious to everyone except you. You have to work on it. That's the problem." Said the boy in a thin voice. "You mustn't be shy. Go talk to her. You have to find the courage."

"Should I do it now?" Asked Anna and Olaf nodded seriously, pushing her to her feet.

"I wonder what the mistress would think if she knew that you held her in such great consideration... maybe she'd be flattered." He said and kissed Anna's cheek kindly, before pushing her toward the door. "Up, up. At work." Anna sighed, swallowed and made strength, before leaving the room.

  
  
  
  


"Be delicate. The mistress is not used to the presence of guests. She may not be happy to see you." Kai said, escorting her through the hallways to a door. The man handed her a envelope of letter and bowed. Anna discovered that there was a key and directions inside. Apparently this phantom study that Anna was looking for was in another prohibited area, which was why the key.

Anna opened the door of the forbidden zone with the key, as had been specified in the letter and closed it behind her. She found herself in a cold, ghostly-looking environment that almost gave her shivers. She then hurried down the great corridor, beginning to count the doors. She didn't want to stay there, alone too long.

She knocked on a door, hoping it was the right one, and the mistress's sensual and gentle voice answered, inviting her in. Anna opened the door with uncertainty and peered in. The mistress's study was not at all as she had imagined it. It was a small, dark room. Three of the walls were topped with bookcases and there was a sofa and a small table in the corner near the fireplace. The mistress, dressed in a dark suit, sat behind a large desk topped with papers and other books. She raised her head only to understand who she was, and when she saw Anna at the door, she smiled genuinely and beckoned her in. Anna felt the restlessness assail her and a dull pain in her chest to take her.

She entered at a slow pace, closing the door behind her and after a bow, Anna took her seat in the chair that the mistress pointed at her. Anna watched her writing with her mahogany nib. It never stopped. It looked expensive and heavy. She could not imagine how the mistress could handle it all day.

"Anna... tired of playing cricket?" The mistress asked, and for lack of words Anna nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I came... Uh... to see how you are, madam."

"Interesting." Said the mistress, crossing her fingers. "I'm fine today, Anna. Thank you for asking. What about you?" Elsa began cautiously, kindly. "How is your stay going?" She asked without looking at her. Anna reflected. It was a difficult answer to give. "Take as much time as you want to answer." The woman said in a clearly ironic tone when she heard that Anna did not open her mouth.

"Well, my lady." Anna answered equally cautiously. "I'm having fun."

"Really?" Asked Elsa in a surprised tone, raising her eyebrows. She seemed almost sorry for Anna's newfound vivacity. "I'm glad to hear it. It was more than I expected." She confessed to the woman sincerely. "Do you feel better, then?"

"I'd say yes." Elsa lifted her eyes off the sheet and looked intently at her, almost as if she wanted to know if she was lying. Anna felt stripped to her bones and looked down, blushing in embarrassment, her heart pounding a cheerful march for all the pleasant attentions she was receiving.

"Well." Elsa said at the end unenthusiastically. "Will you stay then?" Anna was surprised to hear her ask that.

"Isn't that obvious?" Asked Anna and Elsa shook her head.

"I'd rather leave you free to choose, this time. Now that you know what it's like to live here, I mean." The mistress insisted, and Anna did not take long to answer in spite of everything and nodded with conviction. "Are you sure?" Anna confirmed and Elsa seemed to pull a faint trembling breath. Again it didn't seem like the answer she wanted to hear. "Well... well...". An awkward silence ensued in which neither knew exactly what to say. "Well... you can go." Elsa finally said, getting Anna out of her thoughts.

"Go where, my lady?" Asked Anna stupidly and Elsa pointed to her door distractedly with her index finger.

"Go back and have fun with your friends. You'll have a lot to do downstairs."

"Don't you want me to stay here with you?" Anna asked, and the mistress refused. Had Anna gone all the way there just for that? Anna rediscovered herself disappointed. She had expected... exactly she didn't know what, but it was definitely more than that.

"I don't need you at the moment. Go ahead."

"What if I want to stay?" The question surprised both of them and the mistress looked at Anna with confusion, frowning. Perhaps it was Olaf's words that gave her that courage. What if the boy was right? The fact was, however, that that fear was real. Anna could hear it crawling into her body inexorably. Fear... fear of rejection. "If I wanted to keep you company? I promise not to disturb you while you work." The woman gasped and eventually resumed writing.

"Of course I won't force you." It was the timid answer. "Do as you please." Anna was immensely happy with that answer. Her body had taken to vibrating with emotion. She had made it! It seemed so hard, and yet... And so Anna sat in front of Elsa for almost an hour, looking at her admiringly. Elsa wrote and never put down her pen, except to change paper or dip into the bottle filled with black liquid that Anna imagined was ink. She had never seen anyone work so fast. Every now and then, Elsa would close her eyes wearily or cough, but it was a sporadic habit, which almost Anna did not notice.

"What do you write about that's so interesting?" Asked Anna curiously at one point and saw that Elsa was throwing a puzzled look at her with the tail of her eye. A grimace bathed her lips.

"Measures, for the most part." That was the answer.

"Do you still have problems with that werewolf?" Asked Anna and Elsa laughed amusedly. Her laugh was like a chorus of angels. Anna felt almost envious, for not being able to become such a charming woman. Anna then smiled in reference, listening.

"Yes... Would you like some paper? To write to your family?" Here's the slap Anna didn't expect. Her mood shuddered and she shook her head immediately. "You can write, right?" Joked Elsa by dipping the nib in the ink and starting to work again. Anna nodded.

"My father wouldn't like to receive a letter from me." Anna said, and then she immediately added. "My writing is not as beautiful as yours anyway." Anna swore to see the woman blush for a few moments, which was unusual, given the compliment so bland. Elsa cleared her voice and coughed weakly, covering her lips with the glove that protected her hand.

"As you prefer. When you change your mind, you'll know where to find the paper." The mistress said at the end and after another time spent in silence, Anna imagined that her gaze became too overbearing on the poor woman, because she hurried again to find her a distraction, beating her fingers on the mahogany. The tension between them was palpable. "Would you like to tell me about your week?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am. Today Olaf took me to the lake!" Anna began, as if these frivolities could matter to the mistress, recounting every detail of the affair. Especially how the boy had fallen into the lake and was surprised to hear the mistress giggle at one point. A low and disbelieving laugh, but it was more than nothing. Anna didn't expect much involvement from that woman who seemed so distant, so... glacial. She was working on her papers and yet she proved she was listening, and Anna appreciated the gesture.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I had planned our stay here as a holiday for both of us, so we could get to know each other better, but... Unfortunately there are urgent issues that I have to deal with and my physique does not allow me to be with you. It's too cold of a summer: it has made the crops wither and now the farmers all want my head. Then there's this crazy werewolf thing kidnapping people... I won't be able to spend much time on you." Tried Elsa with a distressed face and Anna, in order not to embarrass her, shook her head.

"It's nothing, my lady." The redhead answered, suddenly self-aware. "I should be the one to give you time. To get me... to care for you." And as Anna said it she was forced to swallow, her mouth suddenly clumsy. "After all I will be your family, until your brother comes back. I should always be by your side." The mistress looked at her in disbelief this time and the feeling, which had not happened until then, even came to touch her eyes and this left Anna stunned. The two fell into deep embarrassment and neither managed to look up at the other or utter a word for a while after Anna's sentence.

"I didn't expect so much affection, Anna. Where does so much kindness comes from?" Asked the mistress in a calm and reassuring tone at the end, recovering immediately and returning to the old self in a moment. Anna looked at her and took a long time to reflect, but in the end she could not give her an answer. Elsa seemed to understand anyway and smiled. "I'm happy with that." She said at the end and Anna nodded and felt her heart take a diving dip. "You don't imagine how much." They looked at each other for a long time, smiling, only happy to be facing each other. Then Anna realized that she was staring at her and looked back, looking ashamed and clearing her voice. Elsa then realized that she had gone too far. "I'll find you something to do if you feel ready. Nothing excessive. Just to start." She said immediately to bring the speech back to a safer road.

"Thank you, ma'am." Anna said. "What am I going to do? Do you want me to be here with you and keep you company from now on?"

"You don't really think I'm going to keep you segregated in this room all day, do you?" The woman said. After a long moment of silence the mistress set aside her papers to look her in the eye. "No... I have other plans for you." She said vaguely and mysteriously. "Don't worry. Oh... I almost forgot. You haven't worn the necklace I gave you yet." Anna rejoiced.

"My lady... I...".

"I'm sorry you didn't like it, but I'd rather you wear it. After all, it's the coat of arms of my house. Nothing can better protect you around here. You should take it with you all the time." Elsa said and Anna nodded, understanding.

"You misunderstand... I find it very nice but... this is the first time a woman has given me such a gift." The mistress looked at her with a sympathetic look and nodded without insisting. "I know I've only caused you problems since I got here..."

"It's all gone." Just said Elsa and Anna sighed with relief. She nodded without looking up. The mistress seemed happy to see that she was well. Anna saw for the first time her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. But it only lasted an instant this time. "Now tell me more about your adventures. I want to know everything." And Anna told everything there was to tell and even more and the mistress stayed to listen until the last word. Commenting from time to time. She was quiet, but intelligent, she spoke only when she really needed to.

"Tomorrow, if you will allow me, we will go for a picnic in the grove. Olaf says there are squirrels and ducks in the castle pond, and I'd love to see them. Will you come, my lady, to have lunch with us, please? Please...". Anna asked, but the mistress made a strange suffering grimace. Like Anna just slapped her. Anna didn't know what it was, but it saddened her.

"I can't. As you may have already discovered from my servants and from my brother, I... I don't exactly have a strong constitution. Going out might make me sick. I've been fine for three days and I don't want to risk it, you understand...". She explained calmly.

"Do you know what?" Anna asked, getting up. Elsa looked at her with dread in her eyes, as if she foreshadowed what was coming. "We don't have to go out to have fun." The mistress looked at her with terror, as if she were wondering what Anna had in mind. "Get up."

"Pardon?" The woman squished with an almost imperceptible little voice.

"Get on your feet." Ordered Anna in a trembling voice, pointing her finger at the floor. A moment's silence fell and Anna feared she had made a mistake, but Elsa eventually bit her lips and stood on her trembling legs. Anna smiled satisfied. This could work.


	7. Menage a deux

Chapter 6

**Menage a deux**

Anna found the way to pique the mistress's interest, somehow. She retrieved a blanket and a picnic basket from the kitchens and filled it with food, before dragging the poor girl into the endless search for the perfect room. Eventually they found it in an old dusty ballroom. Anna moved the furniture and had the air changed, because the dust caused the mistress to cough and she finally put down the blanket, beckoning the woman to take her seat.

"Sit down." She said and the mistress, though evidently perplexed, did as she had been asked and with a sigh of relief, for as long as she had been forced to stand, she placed her tired limbs on the hard floor. "Today we're having an outdoor picnic." Anna explained, settling her dress and sitting in turn. The mistress looked at her hard-fought.

"Anna... we are still in the house...". Groped the woman, caressing the dress on her own legs with her hands. "And then I don't think the floor is the best place..." Anna shut her up, resting a finger on Elsa's lips, which to her astonishment remained mutinous.

"Shush... we're not on the floor, silly." Anna said, beating on the hard stone with one hand. "This is grass..." Elsa looked at her as if she had suddenly gone crazy and was trying to decide whether it was appropriate to call a doctor or an asylum to have her interned. "Use your imagination."

"I don't know if I can." It was the faint answer and Anna smiled, pulling out a bottle and two huge glasses out of the basket.

"That's why I brought wine." Gleefully exclaimed the girl, pouring some of the content of the bottle into the glasses and handing one to Elsa who immediately turned to look at the pendulum clock on the wall.

"It's only eleven o'clock in the morning... we shouldn't drink." Anna looked at her insistently and offended, and the mistress realized that her attitude would not take her anywhere, so, to hell with all common sense, she sighed and took the glass in one hand and reached out to Anna. "Then cheers." Anna smiled and cinched her glass against the girl's, before drinking a long sip of wine. It was red and had an intense and fruity flavor. The girl looked at her for minutes licking her lips. "What do we have to eat?" Elsa asked, sipping her wine calmly.

"Oh, right!" Anna exclaimed, pulling out of the basket some sandwiches. She handed one to the mistress who said no with her hand. "Don't you like them?" She asked and the woman confirmed. "But I made them..." Anna complained. "Just a bite, come on...". Elsa looked tremendously combative, but eventually squeezed her lips and took the bun, opening the napkin in which it was wrapped and giving it a bite. "How is it?" The mistress did not answer, but merely spit the bite into the napkin and closed it with a grimace. Anna laughed with gusto. "Pretty fine." She laughed, shrugging. "But I didn't bring anything else and you can't drink without eating."  
"I'll be fine." The mistress said with a smile and Anna believed her, forgetting that although she seemed surreal in that way, she too was still a human being. Apparently she was a very delicate human being, moreover. Anna saw her drinking calmly, sip after sip and at the end of the glass the woman seemed to have reached her limit. Her cheeks turned red and her smile took a more relaxed turn. "Well... this wine is good, I have to admit." Elsa whispered sticking her index finger in her glass to retrieve a droplet that had escaped her and putting her finger in her mouth. Anna blushed and looked away, hastening to clear her voice. "What is it, Anna? I see you’re nervous."

"M-me? Oh, no, my lady." Anna swallowed, looking into her glass. The thing was, maybe Anna shouldn't have brought that wine after all. She too felt she was no more lucid than before and was afraid to do something... Inappropriate. "Do you see the grass now, my lady?" She asked, jokingly, and Elsa smiled at her.

"Oh, yes..." She whispered, stretching out on the blanket with a low guttural and satisfied groan. That sound made something strange to Anna. A chill ran through her and it sank straight into places that Anna didn't even know they could talk about. She clenched her legs and swallowed with an embarrassed rewink. "Come, Anna, lie down beside me." Said the mistress, gently pushing the basket away to make room for Anna and clapping a hand on the blanket. Anna sighed and obeyed, putting down her glass and slumping to the floor, before resting her ear against the blanket. Elsa hid her arm under her head and began to observe her.

Elsa's gaze was intense and penetrating and Anna could for the first time see those eyes, straight on her up close and not out of sight as she had done until then. The light that struck them created in that blue, like waves of color. Elsa's eyes were constantly changing. Before they were blue, if the light did not reach them decently, but when a ray of sunshine made its way out of the window, they began to shine of a life of their own. The woman’s eyes could go from ice blue to teal in a blink of an eye. It was like watching the water of a mountain lake, calm and cold, changing lives with the arrival of spring. It was something Anna couldn't explain, but she was certain that if she hadn't been careful, she would have drowned in those eyes…

"Anna." Anna gathered herself from her elucubrations and looked at Elsa in front of her, who now seemed worried. "What troubles you?" Asked the woman by extending a hand and touching her cheek with her index finger. Anna shuddered at the contact. She wasn't sure. There was something missing from her. She clasped her lips and shook her head.

"Have you ever been in love, my lady?" Asked Anna and Elsa looked at her with confusion and fear. An exaggerated reaction to such a simple question. Anna saw her swallowing and drawing a trembling sigh. Elsa even drew her hand from her cheek and leaned it under her ear, reflecting.

"Yes..." She answered faintly, but this was not the answer Anna had hoped for. Anna felt a pang of pain assault her chest and grimaced, remaining silent. "Yes, I have been, Anna." Who... who had she been in love with? Not that it was a strange thing, considering who the mistress was, it was just that... Anna swallowed.

"How did you figure it out... you were in love?" Elsa looked at her and clasped her lips, this question seemed to put her much in less embarrassment than the previous one.

"Hmm...". It was the answer and again it was not what Anna had hoped to hear. "Why do you want to know? Why all these questions?" The woman asked, and Anna shrugged, remaining vague. It was a set of things. It was the curiosity that Olaf had put on her, but also... Also... Elsa sighed and nodded. "It's not something you understand, Anna. You just know. You can feel it inside." The woman said, barely smiling, resting her index finger at the height of her heart.

"How do... how do you know that?" Anna insisted, getting closer to the woman with curiosity. What struck her first was her scent. The smell of mint emanating from her was intoxicating. Anna had to swallow and shake her head to recover from the slap she had just suffered and it was at that moment that her eyes fell on the neckline of the mistress. It wasn't too much, but that thin layer of alabaster skin peeking out from under the fabric, followed by those soft curves for a moment sent Anna into confusion. The girl found herself staring at the floor breathlessly, her heart in her throat for the umpteenth time and her face of a furious red. That's when Elsa took her face in her hands, forcing her to look at her. Anna's eyes fell on those soft, red lips, and the girl bit hers with a sense of restlessness.

"Anna, I think you're not feeling well. The wine must have been too much for you... you should go in your room and rest." Whispered the woman kindly. Her voice was like a sensual hiss in Anna's ears.

"I want you to answer me, my lady." Anna insisted, angrily taking the mistress's hands and pushing her on her back, holding her so locked and the woman, in these conditions was forced to make her happy, albeit reluctantly.

"It's like an obsession, Anna. A poignant and oppressive obsession." The woman answered calmly. "I... I've never talked to anyone about her before." The woman whispered and Anna was interdicted.

Her. Not you. Not Anna.

Anna's heart stopped for a long moment, leaving her speechless and thoughtless. She looked at the woman with a panic in her eyes to the point that Elsa eventually noticed. Anna was so upset and so overwhelmed by her own sensations and emotions, that she didn't even feel Elsa's hand touching her cheek. She felt like a puppet full of muttering with whistling ears and shivering took her and then, an unexpected anger filled her heart. She stared at the void for minutes to the point that Elsa began to worry about it. And then, from the darkness, Anna came up with an old poem that she had read in a book a long time ago and to which she had not wanted to give too much weight.

"Like the gods, he appears to me, that man  
sitting in front of you and up close  
listens to you: sweet sounds your voice  
and your smile  
ignites desire. And this is the heart  
it makes me burst into my chest: if I look at you  
for a moment, I don't get a single  
thread of voice,  
but the tongue is broken, it flows slim  
under the skin immediately a flame,  
I don't see with my eyes anymore, they rumble  
strong ears,  
and it inundated me a cold sweat, a tremor  
shakes me all, and I'm even paler  
of the grass, and I feel that it is not far  
for me death.  
But everything can be endured, because... because…”.

Oh.

_Oh…_

And finally consciousness took Anna like a wave. The realization struck her with unprecedented violence and the girl remained heaving, motionless, with a weight on her heart. The panic in her now lifeless eyes that veiled in tears, left Anna blind to whatever else surrounded her. It couldn't be. This…

"Anna...". The mistress's voice brought her back to earth and the girl could not ignore her. Anna wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and pulled up with her nose. "Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”.

"Oh, no, my lady, I... I must have had too much to drink." The girl lied, but the mistress did not seem to believe her. Of course not, the mistress wasn't stupid. "Why, of all the lovers you must have had, you had to fall in love with a woman!" Blurted Anna, without thinking how offensive it might have sound to the mistress's ears, but Elsa merely smiled with melancholy.

"I don't have all the answers either, Anna." That's what Anna got. "It doesn't matter by now." The woman said sadly. "She's dead and she's not coming back." And Anna for a thousandth of a second was relieved. One less to compete with, she said to herself. But then she regretted it. It was a bad thing to say about a dead person. And then... how could she compete with someone who couldn't go wrong anymore? Anna, on the other hand…

Someone suddenly knocked on the door and it was at that moment that Anna realized, that keeping the mistress immobilized on the floor would not have a good effect on the servants. So with a terrified gasp she let her go and sat next to her politely, swallowing and pulling back a lock of hair. Elsa laughed and sat down in turn, giving her a pat on the cheek.  
"Relax, Anna." She said to her kindly with a smile and Anna nodded down. "Who is it?". Shouted the mistress at the door, getting awkwardly to her feet with the wine she had in her body and going to open.

"I'm Kai, my lady." Said the man with an agitated stake, looking at the mistress and then, just above her shoulder, towards Anna. "There are men looking for your brother. They look like soldiers. Should I let them pass?" Elsa seemed to be unsure.

"Let me talk to them, Kai." The woman said that, turning to Anna, she gave her a faint, mortified smile. "Our tour is over, Anna. I'm sorry." She said and went out and closed the door behind her leaving Anna alone, kneeling on the floor.

* * *

  
The men who had arrived at the palace, in that so sudden manner, were actually soldiers. They were dressed in their perfectly ironed uniforms and shiny rifles. They weren't passing by: they were looking for Kristoff. They had come to pick him up to take him to the front. Apparently they had a list of all the men suitable for combat in the area and Kristoff who had been a soldier before was one of the first. Kristoff didn't seem surprised that they showed up on such short notice and neither did Elsa, though the girl's displeasure was almost palpable.

They didn't stop too much. Apparently they were in a hurry to leave, as if something was chasing them. Kristoff was forced to prepare his canvas sack in a hurry and as they waited Elsa awkwardly tried to entertain the guests. The men seemed very interested in her, and how to blame them. She was gorgeous. Elsa was a bundle of nerves now. She kept clasping her gloved hands in a vice and this led the soldiers to believe that she was such a shy and respectful girl. But Anna knew: she was just annoyed. She wanted to meddle and force men to stop bothering Elsa with their smiles and lascivious eyes, but they were eight and she was only one. Anna gritted her teeth and tried not to notice.

When Kristoff came down from his room he was ready to leave. Hair combed and shiny boots. He and Elsa barely looked at each other. The girl smiled at him and he just bowed his head. This was their farewell. Anna had feared it would be heartbreaking, instead it was Gerda surprisingly who gave quite the show. They literally broke her in tears from Kristoff's ankles and Anna felt sorry for her. Poor girl. Kristoff had to run away, so as not to run into other moines. It was in this pathetic and hasty way that Kristoff departed that afternoon. Without a word of comfort. Nothing. When the door closed behind her, Elsa clasped her lips and breathed a faint, trembling sigh.

"My lady... don’t be in pain. He'll come back." Said Anna to console her, but the woman gave her a forced smile and dragged herself to her room without another word. Everyone knew that the men who went to war had more chances of dying that to come back, but Anna had to lie to Elsa, for her sake. Apparently Elsa knew better. That evening Anna dined alone. All the joy she had struggled to build in that building since she arrived seemed suddenly gone.

**Hi everyone, it's me! Sorry for the wait, I had to fix some things, but we are back with the next chapter. Hope you like it. Let me know.**   
**Ps. There is a poem in this chapter. It's not mine, of course, but I am not telling the autor. I want you guys to guess. Just a little game between us. It's a very famous poem. Try toghether to guess the author and the feeling Anna is feeling right now (sorry for the pun). Have fun. Love you.**


	8. I don't get it

Chapter 7

  
**I don't get it**

  
_"Oh, Anna ...". The mistress said in a sensual voice, brushing Anna's cheek with the bare skin of her index finger. Anna shivered faintly at the contact. "What do you want me to do to you. Hm, Anna? ". The woman whispered again, pushing Anna against the bed and slowly sliding on her sheets, against her heated flesh. Anna swallowed and closed her eyes. Elsa's lips touched her ear. "I know what you want ...". The voice whispered. the woman's lips weakly bit the lobe of Anna's ear. "Say it…"._

  
_"I-I ..."._

  
"Anna?". Anna jumped with her heart in her throat from the armchair in which she had sunk. She found it hard to open her eyes and wipe away the burr that had run down one side of her lips. She swallowed and hurried to retrieve the book that had slipped from her hands off the floor. "You fell asleep again." Elsa said looking at her amused, from behind the desk, with her fingers crossed and Anna blushed faintly. Yeah ... and it was starting to get dangerous.

  
Kristoff had been gone for a month and since then Anna's life had become hell. No more picnics outside the building, no more fun. Gerda had fallen into a state of profound melancholy and no longer wanted to go out with her and Olaf and the mistress had considered it inappropriate to let her go out alone with a man. Anna had been put in the service of the mistress most of the time, so and this proximity between the two and Anna's new awareness had made bad jokes to her emotional psyche. Strange dreams had begun to haunt her and it wasn't a problem when Anna was safe in her bed, but there in the middle of Elsa's study, having those dreams put her in a state of profound agitation. Anna rubbed her eyes tiredly, closed the book and placed it on the desk.

  
"I know it's boring to watch me work all day, Anna, I'm sorry." Anna shook her head weakly, trying not to notice the gentle tone that the woman used to address her and that had recently started to make her uncomfortable. Anna had begun to fear that Elsa knew ... that she could read Anna through and that her kindness was just an exuberant way to have fun at her expenses. Poor naive Anna, how could she have impressed a woman like that? "Why don't you find a boyfriend? You could go for long walks together and stop being bored." Here, that was exactly what Anna was referring to. Was it kindness? Was it a joke at her expenses? Anna didn't know and this made her uncomfortable. What should she have answered in order not to act as a fool, but above all not to give more clues than necessary to the woman?

  
"I will try my lady, but besides Olaf I don't know many men." Anna said, returning to a composed seat. The grimace of disappointment that Elsa made was almost imperceptible, but Anna noticed it. She could see everything about that woman. How had Elsa defined it? An obsession ... yes ... Elsa looked at her for a long time, bit her lips, let out a trembling sigh and went back to work. She seemed like a tarantula and could not sit still. Anna saw the craving in the woman's ways of doing. Elsa tormented her hands, looked at her and then, shaking her head, pulled her blonde hair back.

  
"My lady... are you okay?". Anna finally asked desperately, with concern. The woman snorted and shook her head, tapping the sheet angrily with her pen. She certainly had problems, but if she did she said nothing about it and the only thing Anna could do was sit and stare at her.

  
"Get out, Anna." Finally the woman blurted out, pointing to the door with exasperation. Anna looked at her confused.

  
"Pardon?".

  
"Go out, you distract me." Anna was even more confused. She was sure she wasn't doing anything in particular. She hadn't even moved. She got up uncertain and started to walk towards the door. The mistress raised a hand and stopped her, almost instantly. "Forgive me, Anna. Come back to your seat. Don't listen to me. Today I'm not me. " Elsa said and covered her eyes with one hand. Anna obeyed hesitating without saying a word.

  
"Did something happen to Kristoff? Is that why you're so nervous, milady?"

  
"Kristoff?". Asked the woman. "No, no, thank goodness. That man has the damned good fortune to escape any disaster." She said and Anna then wondered what could bring her so much tension, a question that remained unspoken, since someone politely knocked on the door. It was Kai with the afternoon tea. The man served the cups in a composed way, then handed Anna an envelope. It was from Olaf. "I guess Mr. Olaf can't stay away from you one afternoon." The woman blurted out shortly, tapping the mahogany on her desk with her fingers. "If you're not careful, someone might think badly." Anna laughed and opened the letter.

  
"We're just friends". Stupidly snorted the girl and Elsa rolled her eyes, probably considering her too naive. Oh, if only she knew what Anna knew, she wouldn't have thought badly about Olaf.

  
"This is how you become lovers with someone, Anna." Anna shook her head.

  
"If you're not careful, my lady, I might go as far as thinking you're jealous of Olaf!" Anna joked and realized what she had just said only when the words had left and her lips. She closed her lips, while the mistress in front of her eyes blushed slightly, turned to look at the bookcase and pouted. Here Anna had offended her. Stupid Anna and your stupid allusions of a frustrated teenager. A chilling silence fell, broken only by the sound of the pendulum in a corner.

  
"You shouldn't to trust Olaf, Anna." The mistress finally said, puffing and returning to her papers. Whatever it meant, however, Anna should have found out for herself because the woman said nothing else about it. "Drink your tea, it will cool down." Anna made a defeated grimace and took the cup in her hands. Olaf was her only friend in that building, or rather the only one she had left. With Kristoff at the front, Gerda who did nothing but work because she felt depressed and didn't want to see anyone, only Olaf had remained to give her comfort and if she had lost him...

  
"And you? Why don't you find a boyfriend? " Anna naively asked to change the subject and this was, sadly for her, her second mistake of the evening. The mistress grimaced and bit her lips. Anna's heart sank into her stomach and this prompted her to try clumsily to find a remedy to it. "In short, you are so beautiful ... I am sure that men would queue for you."

  
"Beauty is not all Anna. And then I already gave ... I was married. It is enough for me and advances also as an experience, thank you". Said the woman and Anna laughed crossing her legs. Talking to the mistress was an ups and downs of emotions.

  
"Was your husband really that terrible?" She asked with a knowing tone, convinced that she had just scored points. She was so accustomed to conversing with the frivolous young girls of the Danish nobility that she sometimes forgot that Elsa was the woman before her. Elsa winced, as if the joke had affected her personally.

"Jorgen was truly an adorable man." She said gently. "He endured all my whims, he was patient and kind and charming. The husband that every woman would like to have." Anna couldn't quite imagine the mistress acting up like a spoiled child, so she began to believe that Elsa's version of Jorgen was also false.

  
"But you didn't love him." Anna suggested, based on what the mistress had confessed to her in the ballroom. As confirmation, Elsa shook her head.

  
"No". She said gently. "Not as he would have liked. I loved him yes, but how you love a brother ... not how you love a husband, Anna and this ... ". Just when the mistress had started to open up to her, to confide in her, she stopped and made a pensive grimace. "You have to understand me Anna ...". She started as if Anna was judging her. "I was young, stupid and madly in love ...". The woman made a mortified snort and looked down. "In any case, it doesn't matter now. What is done is done." Elsa said. "Finish your tea and go to sleep. It's starting to get late." Anna obeyed. "I'll wait for you at breakfast."

  
Anna got to her feet, bowed and disappeared into her room for the night. She lay on the bed staring at the canopy for hours, before she managed to close her eyes and when she did, those strange dreams began to haunt her. It goes without saying that Anna did not turn a blind eye that night and when Kai came to wake her up for breakfast the next morning Anna had to confess that she did not feel properly fit, but still had to stand up, and to reach the mistress at breakfast, who would certainly have been hurt in not seeing her.

  
Anna was quickly washed and dressed and, still sleepy, was sent to the large hall, where the mistress was already sitting at the head of the table, with a huge newspaper in her hands covering her face. Elsa lowered it only to watch Anna make her lopsided reverence, as soon as she entered and to signal her to sit next to her, on her right, then went back to reading as if nothing had happened. Anna felt mortified that she had arrived so late and told her. The mistress shook her head, as if it were not a problem at all.

  
"I don't pretend for you to be used to getting up so early. For God's sake ... no. I won't ask you often to meet me at breakfast, don't worry." She had said and Anna was grateful once again for her infinite understanding.

  
Breakfast was simple and silent. While waiting for the servants to bring breakfast, Anna tried, unsuccessfully to wake up, rubbing her face several times and clapping her cheeks. Everything was in vain until she noticed the mistress. Under that clear and angelic light her hair had taken on the color of gold and her face was white like that of a marble statue. She was so beautiful that Anna was transfixed by such beauty and could not look away.

  
Her big blue eyes were now clear and alive like water and shining like two sapphires, concentrated as they were in the newspaper. Her soft red lips folded into a satisfied grin just mentioned. Anna stared at the woman reading in a kind of trance. Anna was so hypnotized that she hadn't noticed that the mistress had started to reciprocate the stare and discovering her so insistent, she blushed with embarrassment. Finally, when she couldn't take it anymore, the mistress put down the newspaper and snapped two fingers in front of her face. The soap bubble burst and Anna returned with her feet on the ground.

  
"Why are you looking at me like this?". The mistress asked, clearing her throat, which had come out trembling and uncertain. Anna pulled her head up from the palm on which she had sunk it with a confused look. "Do you want my newspaper, Anna? Do you want to read? ".

  
"Read my lady?". Anna asked stupidly, unable to hide the surprise, then finally realized that the woman had understood that she was staring at her and blushed in embarrassment from ear to ear.

  
"You will find my library interesting. You saw my books ... in the study ". Elsa explained calmly. "If you want to read, take any book you want."

  
"Thanks my lady, I will certainly do it, but at the moment I don't want to read."

  
"Then why were you looking at me like that?" The woman insisted. But how could Anna explain why she looked at her? "Do you want me to read to you?"

  
"No, my lady." Anna whispered, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Forgive me. I just let myself fall asleep for a moment." The mistress's expression remained uncertain for seconds, then softened, putting her guard down. Elsa folded the newspaper in four and put it aside before giving her confidence.

  
"You don't always have to apologize." Anna nodded quickly. Then finally the breakfast came to save her. Bread with butter and a plate full of pickled fish that turned her inside out.

  
Anna watched the mistress take a slice of scorched bread, carefully scrape off the black with a knife and spread a small amount of butter over it with boredom. Anna could not believe that they had burned her bread and even more surprising was the fact that she was eating it without saying a word. Anna's father would have fired the cook if it ever happened. Curious how the man always came to mind for unpleasant things. When the mistress noticed that Anna hadn't touched anything, she started to worry. She put down her freshly buttered slice of bread and looked at Anna calmly.

  
"What's up? Don't you like herrings?". Elsa asked and, perhaps it was the grimace of pain that Anna turned her to be too eloquent. The mistress did not give her time to respond otherwise. "Kai?". She called out loud. It was enough for the man to run from the main door.

  
"Yes, my lady". The man said bowing, while the mistress gently handed the plate of herring in his hands and pointed to the kitchen.

  
"Can you bring them back please?". Elsa asked calmly, smiling at the man who looked at her with confusion.

  
"But it's your favorite dish. Do you want me to say something to the cook? " The man tried, but the mistress simply shook her head.

  
"It's not me. Anna doesn't like them. Take them away and bring on a slice of that chocolate cake I ordered yesterday. Do you mind?". Then she turned to Anna and her authoritarian tone became mellifluous. "Do you like chocolate, Anna?". Anna nodded weakly. When she acted as mistress it was truly disturbing. It was clear that making the big voice was not for her. "Hurry up please, Kai. We don't want Anna to have breakfast alone right? ".

  
"No, your majesty."

  
"Thank you". Kai nodded weakly. The man bowed and ran away. "I'll have to give him a little speech. It is not a good thing to reply in front of a guest." Elsa said in a sorry tone, taking a bite of her bread down and only then did she notice the upset way in which Anna was looking at her. "Obviously I don't have it in for you, Anna." She said giving her a nudge on her cheek with the glove. "Your cake is coming."

  
And in fact it was so. It seemed that Kai had run, because he returned five minutes later with the cake, but red and out of breath. The mistress thanked him and dismissed him. Anna saw him come out with a limping step, wiping his forehead with the handkerchief he kept in his breast pocket.

  
"Eat Anna, come on. I don't have much time to spend with you." The woman said gently pushing the plate under her nose. Anna lifted her fork uncertain and cut a piece of the cake, but before she could eat, she looked at the hostess full of guilt.

  
"My lady, at the risk of offending you, I must say to you: haven't you been too hard on him? He did everything in a hurry." The mistress looked at Anna with surprise for minutes, in total silence. The girl thought she had a problem, but then the woman laughed weakly.

  
"Too hard? Oh, Anna...". She said as she was speaking to a discreet little girl and Anna looked down. "No ... he raised me. You know very well that I cannot prove myself weak in the face of servitude." She explained calmly. "After all, I am the mistress, what would I do if I let myself be commanded by my own servants?". And Anna had to admit that she was right. "Now don't worry anymore and eat." The Duchessine obeyed without saying a word.

  
While Anna was eating, the mistress leaned several times to comb her hair carefully on her forehead, to caress her cheek, as if Anna were a precious thing to protect. Her glove was soft and warm and Anna wondered if her bare hand was too. She blushed at the thought.

  
"You like the cake?". The mistress asked and Anna nodded, snatching her a huge satisfied smile. "Well". She said and started to resume the newspaper when Anna stopped her. She cut a piece of cake with a fork and handed it to her.

  
"Do you want to taste it?" The mistress looked at her with parted lips and covered her face with one hand. Her blue eyes stood out on her pallor.

  
"N-no ...". She stammered, clearing her throat. "You finish it." And they went on like this for almost half an hour. Blushing and tearing apart pieces of conversation. "Anna, the reason why I asked you to come to breakfast today, is that I wanted to give you the news that we will soon be leaving for my winter estate in the south. The weather will get worse in the coming weeks and we have to leave before then. We have one spare place, so you can bring one of the servants with you and I would like you to bring Gerda. She has known you for a long time and could be useful to you."

  
"Only one? And Olaf? ".

  
"Olaf?". The mistress asked with surprise. "My dear Anna, Olaf is a guide and then he has business to attend to here. He cannot come with us." The disappointment on Anna's face was evident and also the mortification of the mistress at that point. "You will have time to say goodbye and, if you are with me next year, you will see him again. Do not fear. I would stay here in Tromso to make you happy, but my health does not allow me Anna. It will be too cold for me here. "

  
"I don't ask you to, my lady." Elsa smiled.

  
"Well. Today I leave you free. You can spend time with Olaf." Eventually breakfast time came to an end. The mistress folded her newspaper and put it down with an expressionless look. She turned to look at Anna and she felt a dip in her heart when she saw the melancholy spark in Elsa's eyes, who smiled sadly and stood up. "See you tonight in my office." Anna said and swallowed and nodded. Elsa stroked her head with her glove and went to the door letting her finish her breakfast.

**I called this chapter 'I don't get it', because 'useless lesbians trying to flirt and brutally fail' seemed uncalled for. Hope you enjoyed it. Love you-**


	9. The werewolf

**Ok, so. Someone made me notice about a fact the other day. The story was signed as a multi. The reason I am addressing this matter is there is an interesting story behind it. It was not a mistake.**

**This fiction in fact was not written as an Elsanna or a fiction at all and was destined to be a graphic novel. It can still be, but the fact about it is that it was a major mature story: so it contained a lotta sex. A lot. In the path to discovering her sexuality the protagonist, Anna, had to try a lot of combinations, if you know what I mean. And only in the end she set out for Elsa and that gave a lot more meaning to the love between them. But the world of fan fictions is cruel and in order to keep my story 'pure', if you conceed me, I had to cut off all the interesting parts, except for one, as you know that needed to be there for the story to continue.**

**I am sorry to say that they will not come back, unless I re-write the entire story and that may or may not happen. But you shouldn't feel left out. The juicy parts are still there, so enjoy and let me know how you like it. Love you~**

  
  


Chapter 8

**The werewolf**

To console her, Olaf took Anna by boat to the fjords. Gerda refused to follow them, as always in the recent times, and although the mistress did not like the idea of leaving Anna alone with a man, this time she had given in, by virtue of their imminent separation and with the promise that Anna would return by evening. Olaf had taken the opportunity to announce an 'adult talk'. But in that boat, with that silence, that discussion never seemed to come. Anna kept biting her lips, while Olaf rowed and looked around. On the coast could be seen the town of Tromso, which Anna had not yet had the pleasure of seeing up close, with its wooden houses and windowsills full of flowers.

"That's Tromso." Olaf began at some point and Anna sighed weakly. “Today we will spend a day there. There is a festival that I want you to see". He said and Anna nodded silently. If it offended him, he didn't notice. Olaf rowed until he reached the marina to which all the boats like their were tied. Olaf threw the rope to a man who tied it to a wooden pole and helped them get off. All day Anna didn't speak at all. She let Olaf lead her like a puppet.

Olaf made Anna visit the town that grew on the banks. The citizens were celebrating. There was a thunderous shouting, children running everywhere and an amazing smell of food impregnated the air. It was exactly the opposite of what would have expected Anna at the castle, although she thought that the gloomy mood of the building would better reflect her own at the time. 

Anna noticed that Olaf kept casting strange looks at her and she wondered what he wanted. He was probably waiting for the right moment to give her that little speech he had planned. But the moment never seemed to come. 

The day passed quickly. They ate lutefisk, reindeer soup and drank hot wine. Anna made the acquaintance of many local people who turned out to be affable and kind and not at all as expected. Olaf always insisted on holding her by the arm, which made her comfortable at some point, given the alcohol. 

In the afternoon, Anna was sure she had sent down at least three jugs of wine. She could barely stand and Olaf was in the same condition. The positive thing about the matter was that Olaf, at least, was the kind of happy drunk that made people happy too.

At some point the sun began to set and without the two noticing it was time to go home. The mistress would have been worried, Anna told herself, and then they set off again for the boats. When they arrived, however, they found that theirs was gone. Someone must have taken it by mistake.

"Let's wait". Olaf said without thinking. "They will bring it back." And Anna, at that moment thought it was good advice. The mistress would not have been angry at the delay if she had arrived safely and so, the two drunks, to occupy time, decided to go dancing.

The citizens had all gathered in the square to celebrate around the fire and Anna and Olaf did the same. Olaf took Anna by the arm and dragged her into the crowd hopping. They danced for an hour, maybe longer and did not notice that it was really late. Tired and still with at least three liters of wine in their bodies, they headed towards a sheltered place to rest, before finding the strength to go home. They sat on a bench and stared at the cackling crowd with curiosity. It had been a nice trip, Anna had to admit it.

"So…". Olaf began and Anna suddenly understood that the discussion had started. Olaf had chosen the worst moment to make that speech, now that Anna was cheerful and drunk and could not resist him. Anna swallowed and holding her confused and overexcited mind now seemed almost impossible. “I think it's time we talked about a certain topic before we get separated. You already know what I'm talking about, don't you?". Olaf simply asked and Anna swallowed and laughed weakly to ease the tension.

“I know where you want to go and it won't stick. You have been trying for days. I will not be drawn into this discussion, even now that I am about to leave". Immediately intercepted Anna, looking down and gesturing for him to let go with one hand. "Keep it for when I come back next year. Maybe by then I will have changed my mind."

"Are you crazy? And would you like to stay with this weight on your heart for a whole year? No... we have to talk about it, we can no longer wait... ". Olaf insisted. "I am happy that you have finally come to terms with your love for Elsa." 

The word fell like a bomb between the two. Anna swallowed and remained silent, without moving. Olaf put a hand on her shoulder gently and Anna glanced at him. They found themselves looking each other in the eyes for a moment that seemed infinite. 

"It's no use pretending you don't understand, Anna." He said and, perhaps it was the fact that he called her by her name or perhaps it was his gaze so insistent ... Anna could not lie anymore.

"Okay okay. I am in love with Elsa, Olaf. Happy now? It's not that I want to boast about it... in short, Elsa has that effect on everyone...". Anna confessed and Olaf nodded.

"It's a step forward." It was the answer and Anna did not seem surprised at all. Olaf had pushed her in that direction from the beginning. "But now comes the most difficult part of the whole thing: confessing." Anna burst out in disbelief and shook her head.

“You're the crazy one, Olaf. She would laugh at me." Anna said, but she could also have avoided it. It was so obvious, that she wondered how Olaf did not get there by himself, that Elsa was unreachable to Anna. "I can only imagine what her past lovers were like and look at me!" But the boy shook his head. “And then I'm not even sure I really want it. It could only be a phase...".

"A phase...". Olaf laughed, continuing to shake his head. “Let's not fool ourselves, Anna. We all went down the road of refusal and you cannot afford to have doubts. Elsa is delicate. A word that is badly said and everything could go wrong."

"It's not that it's going so much better now." The girl snorted and Olaf pointed a finger at her nose in a smug way.

"If I were you I wouldn't give the result so for granted". Olaf said and finally managed to get Anna's attention. “Indeed, I promised not to tell, but I will make an exception for you, shall Elsa forgive me, just because I see you so hesitant. There is a fact that happened a few days after your arrival." The boy began by standing up. “Let's walk and see if they brought back our boat. I'll tell you along the way." Anna obeyed, letting herself be taken by the arm again, now more curious than ever. What had happened? Above all... what did Elsa have to do with it?

So they set off towards the marina. In the poorly lit road they took was also little traffic. Olaf evidently wanted to keep some secrecy about the secret that he was about to reveal and Anna understood that it had to be something big, if he didn't want to be heard by anyone. 

"It happened a few days after your arrival, as I said. The kidnapping of some girls had just been discovered and the mistress wanted to talk to me about some questions." Olaf explained. "And the mistress was strangely in the mood for revelations that day, which is curious for Elsa who usually doesn't like to confide much ... ".

"Come to the point, Olaf." Anna insisted with the heartbeat given by the anxiety to know everything and Olaf sighed exasperated.

"She confessed to me that she has a soft spot for you." The man said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Anna felt like something had slapper her in the face and feared she hadn't understood.

"Pardon?". She asked incredulously and he nodded.

"Love at first sight". Olaf laughed, swinging his head. "And it's an absurd thing for Elsa who is usually so reserved. But that afternoon she asked me to find out if you ... were of the same opinion, do you understand?". The man asked and Anna shook her head, confused by her own pressing thoughts. "I couldn't care less about your tastes Anna, but Elsa ... I made an exception for her. Of course, I couldn't ask you directly, I would have risked to put you two at war, no ... I preferred to let you get there on your own once I understood that you tended in that direction. Obviously with the right push." Olaf laughed weakly and Anna's eyes widened in amazement. That smart fox of Olaf! Anna would never have believed him so clever! "Elsa really needs love, after all she has gone through. It was also time you knew it. Elsa would never tell you and I can't let you go around it forever. Anna, behind Elsa's back, I'm giving you a chance, and so she would kill me if she knew. This is the chance you need to have her. What will you do with it?".

Anna opened her mouth and thought. She really didn't know what to think. Was Olaf telling the truth? Or that it was just a way of having fun on Anna's expenses as the girl had feared from the beginning? A way to make her look bad with Elsa? Anna thought for a long time, but missed her chance to express her doubts.

Suddenly something hit Olaf. The boy fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding head and Anna looked at him in terror. She turned, drunk and staggering to understand what had happened and to attract the attention of the crowd. But before she could ask for help, she found herself in front of a huge man, covered with a wolf skin and a killer gaze. It took her a while, but in the end her mind remembered the word of the mistress:  _ don't go out of the castle, bad faces go around the city at night, kidnap the girls and you don't know what happens to them. _

At that point Anna was stuck. She did not know whether to run away or stay to save Olaf and, taking advantage of her moment of weakness, the man pounced on her and she could not escape him. Anna stumbled on her own steps and fell to the floor. The man then grabbed her by the leg and hit her straight in the forehead with a stone. Anna passed out and the man loaded her on his shoulder and dragged her away, without anyone noticing him. Olaf, however, remained bleeding on the ground.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


The mistress was sitting quietly at her desk. It was late and it was dark outside, but she knew that Anna would arrive on time. In fact there was a promise between them. Of course, the mistress could not know in what situation Anna had just gotten herself into and was unaware working on her papers.

When the hour of their meeting came and went, the mistress, seeing Anna's delay, began to worry. She tried to focus on her documents, but at a certain point she could not resist anymore, she stood up and started to go back and forth thoughtfully in her study, undecided whether to wait or to send someone to call her. Why was Anna delaying? Was she angry with her for the departure matter? The most atrocious doubts began to crowd into the mistress's mind.

Five, ten, twenty minutes passed. Then half an hour. The more time passed, the more the mistress's concern grew. Eventually she called Kai. The man came running as usual, when he was called. He entered the room, flushed with exertion and bowed. Elsa motioned for him to be comfortable with one hand.

“Kai, I'm worried about Anna. I've been waiting for her for hours. Isn't it maybe she's mad at me?". She asked and the man didn't answer her. "Can you please go and call her? I'd like to talk to her." The mistress asked again biting her lips and shaking her trembling hands with concern. "I'm starting to lose patience." Kai seemed to die inside at the mistress' words. He cleared his throat and bowed his head.

"My lady…". He began shyly. "Anna hasn't come back yet." Elsa and the butler looked at each other silently for a long time.

"What do you mean she's not come back yet?" Elsa asked in a dangerous voice and perhaps it was the killer look that she launched Kai that convinced him to do something before she opened her mouth.

“Her and Mr. Olaf have not yet returned, but don't worry: I will send someone immediately to look for them. I will make her come home at the instant". He said, bowed and disappeared, before running into the wrath of the mistress, who pulled her hair back from her forehead, with death in her heart. She should have given Anna a good lecture when she returned. Staying out late without telling anyone! What if ... something happened to her? Elsa bit her lip and waited anxiously.

The boys Kai had sent for Anna returned after hours, without the girl and with a shocked and bleeding Olaf. The boy did not seem in himself. He continued to mumble something confused, to the point that to calm him down they had to sit him and force him to swallow a large glass of water. It must have been the fright that put him in shock and only after long minutes of interrogation was he able to say what had happened. He had been attacked and …

"Anna has been kidnapped." Elsa's heart stopped for long moments of terror. Everyone, seeing the face of the mistress, remained motionless. Later they would say that the mistress had never made such a chilling grimace. It was so horrible that it could have sent the dead running. But Elsa could not pretend. The horror of having lost Anna, the girl who she had sworn to protect to her brother, was a feeling that the woman could not hide. She had to find her or she would die of a broken heart.

"Kai". She immediately ordered standing up and turning to the man, who stood at attention like a soldier. "Have a cape prepared for me and a carriage." She intercepted immediately. She had no time to wait for the doctor to come and visit Olaf. By then Anna might have died. She had to act immediately.

“My lady, it is not convenient for you to go out in this cold. You will get sick. You are of poor health, I strongly advise against it ...". The man said, standing by the door, but Elsa didn't want to hear reasons. It was true that if you wanted something to be done well, you had to do it yourself.

"This is an emergency." The mistress insisted. "Gather all the men you can find and have them check every inch of land in the kingdom. Nobody will rest if Anna isn't found." The mistress said again.

"My lady. I insist that you stay here in the heat. We can look for her without you having to bother."

"No". 

So Kai, after opposing himself, more than once, after the insistent refusal of the mistress, finally had to give in. He made the mistress fully dress and made her put on a heavy cloak and hood before escorting her into the carriage. They went out together in the night and freezing in search of Anna.

Groups of men came from all campaigns to help them, with torches and pitchforks. They searched all night and the day ahead, but there was no sign of Anna. She seemed to have vanished into thin air.


	10. In a cage

Chapter 9

**Locked in a cage**

Anna awoke in a dark, damp room. There was a sweet, unhealthy smell and her head hurt to death. She couldn’t keep her eyes open and she felt cold. It took her a while to realize that she wasn't lying on the floor, but hanging. Hanging upside down like a charcuterie on the ceiling and then she saw it... blood. It dared down from her forehead in big drops on the floor. The medallion that the mistress had given her was also on the ground covered in red. Where the hell was she?

She tried to move, but in those conditions she did not have much luck. She had her hands and feet tied and she was definitely not an athletic type. She looked around better and in the dark could not distinguish much: some furniture and a figure that slept not very far, slumped on the floor.

"Olaf...?" She called softly, but the figure did not answer her. "Olaf, if this is a joke, please release me. It's not funny." Her voice rumbled on the walls, even though Anna was trying not to scream. "Olaf please."

"Olaf, Olaf, Olaf." Thundered a voice in the darkness, different from what she had expected. The figure pulled up his head and turned to the other side with an annoyed stance. "Do you want to shut up? There's someone trying to sleep here." The voice said, but no matter how hard Anna struggled, she could not understand who he was.

"Let me see you!" Anna asked, but he didn't answer. "Free me now! Do you know who I am?!" Exclaimed the girl angrily. "When the Marquise finds me you will be in trouble!" And suddenly the voice began to laugh amusedly.

"Oh, I know very well who you are." The man said calmly. "What do you think I was hired for? It took me a while, but I finally got you. Little bird." Laughed the man. "We'll see what your father will say when I take you back to Arendelle in chains. He's going to pay me a fortune, and since he was so angry when I left Arendelle, I say he's going to have your head cut off. Anna shuddered and realized that this had not been a random attack. This man... he wanted her. Anna struggled and tried to free herself, but there was no way. "Now shut up and stop. Don't make me gag you." He said and Anna stopped moving. It would have been all pointless.

When Anna was certain that the man had finally fallen asleep, she reached out in a desperate attempt to retrieve the medallion from the floor. She pushed it with her fingers and finally managed to pull it up and shake it in one hand. She tried to use it to cut the ropes, but there was no way. They were too thick and the locket too small. It would have been an impossible feat. Anna swallowed and tried to find another way out, but there didn't seem to be any. So at last she surrendered and felt herself sinking into a dark abyss.

Every now and then her mind would be clear again, but there were more moments when she felt confused and exhausted. She must have lost a lot of blood because when the day came and she saw the light fill the room, the pool on the floor had widened dramatically. Anna couldn't even move to try to escape. The man, with wolf skin on his shoulders, came to her and uneleded her and, like Anna was a puppet, pulled her up. She didn't have the strength to speak. She tried to call for help, but her voice came subdued and uncertain. Too weak to be heard. As if to prevent this from happening anyway, the man gagged her, covered her face with a bag of jute and dragged her out in the heat of the day.

"Someone's looking for you." The man said, making her jump from time to time. "But we will be smarter." He said, put her inside something, tied her hands and feet and closed the lid, because the light suddenly disappeared. Anna understood that it was a crate because she felt the wood under her hands. Anna sighed and curled up even more. She would have died. She knew.

Days passed. Anna had managed to understand the passage of time from meals. The man gave her food and a drink twice a day, never more and never less. He kept her locked in that crate the rest of the time, and Anna wondered why she hadn't bled out yet. They moved often, Anna knew from the jolts that the crate suffered from time to time that gave her seasickness and they did not meet anyone in their path.

The only thing Anna could hear at one point, well defined, was the sound of water. They must have made it to a port. As if to confirm the man loaded Anna onto a boat. The girl heard the sound of the wood bending over and the incessant swinging. She heard them begin to move and the sound of oars stirring rhythmically.

Then suddenly a clatter of hooves and a rumor filled the air. Anna heard screaming, the boat moving faster. From her breath, Anna could infer that the wolf-skinned man should be in a hurry now. Not much came by that surprisingly something stopped them. Anna heard voices arguing with each other. One near and others far away. They seemed angry.

"What's inside the crate?" Clearly asked someone. "Let me see." Then Anna heard the sound of something hitting the water. The boat began to move frightfully. Someone lifted the crate, but the boat moved too fast and so it fell.

The impact with the water was terrible. Anna began to realize that she was in trouble when the water began to fill the crate, with a muffled noise. It was freezing and immediately took her breath away, but with her hands and feet tied and her mouth gagged and her face hooded, Anna couldn't even hope to escape. And even if she did... she couldn't swim. She tried to move, but there was no way. The water quickly filled the crate, causing it to sink faster. It took little time for Anna to take her last breath.

The cold enveloped her and Anna tried desperately to hold her breath. One last attempt to cling to life, but it was in vain. At one point, the bag barely lifted up, letting her see the darkness of the water around her. A terrible sight to remember in the last moments. Anna finally drank two long sips of salt water, her breath was lost. Anna clapped desperately with her hands on the wood. Once, twice. She prayed that someone would come and save her. She regretted disobeying Elsa and promised that if she got out she would not hesitate with her anymore. But no one came to save her and she stopped fighting and let herself be enveloped by the cold of death.

Minutes passed, maybe hours. Anna floated inertly in the crate. Her life was slowly fading through the convulsions of the body that didn't want to give up. The case touched the bottom with a thud and there it remained.

That was the moment when two cold hands, stumbling on the sharp closing of the case, finally managed to open it. The lid opened and someone grabbed Anna for her waist, lifting her by weight. Anna was no longer conscious in those moments when her savior desperately tried to return to the surface, stroked after stroke, with heavy feet and the icy water that slowed their movements. They were moments of struggle until they both reached shore.

Anna began to regain consciousness, minutes later, and when she felt the hard pebbles of the beach under her fingers, she was grateful to be still alive.

"Anna?" Asked for the voice that now came to her muffled by the stun. Anna sank trembling on the beach and coughed up all the water she had drunk. She felt her lungs and eyes burn in contact with the fresh air. The light blinded her and the only thing she saw was two huge blue eyes looking at her. Was she dead? And to say that she had imagined paradise very differently. "Anna. Breathe, good girl." Anna could be heard them touching her cheek with cold fingers, then hugging her and a sweet, familiar smell filled her mind. She felt on the verge of fainting and placed her head on the heaving cobblestone. "Kai, get a doctor called! Make him come to the palace." Shouted the voice. "It's all right, Anna, I'm here."

Now that Anna had almost lost consciousness the rumours around her began to get sharp and ringing, but she could not recognize any of them, she felt only two cold hands on her face, pulling her hair back from her forehead. Anna felt like floating.

"My lady, what shall we do with the prisoner?" Asked someone. "My lady, you're wet! Let me cover you up! You will get sick...". Someone else exclaimed, but the voice didn't want to listen. Anna felt herself be pulled up again and someone set her on something soft this time and smooth. "She's going into hypothermia. At this rate we will not get to the castle." Someone else said.

"Take the prisoner to the palace and bring me all the blankets you can find. It will be a long journey from here to Tromso. I'll take care of Anna." Said the voice that Anna began to recognize as Elsa's. The mistress, with her wet hair on her shoulders and the dart dress attached to her, gave her shoulders and gave orders to the men and the crowd that had tightened all around her.

Anna did not remember much of what happened next. She had felt wrapped in something warm, probably a cloak, and had since lost consciousness. Anna was not sure how much she was unconscious. She was too confused to know what was going on. She slept a lot, maybe hours, but as soon as she began to regain some strength, her eyes literally opened on their own. Too tired to sleep, even though it might sound absurd. She sat up at her elbows and, looking around, realized she was in a carriage. It was late afternoon and she was buried under a sea of blankets.

The mistress slept with her head pendants in the seat opposite to hers. Her cheeks were flushed and she still looked damn wet and cold. She coughed from time to time in her sleep to the point that Anna, having pity on her, reached out to cover her with one of her blankets. She never made a greater mistake. The mistress immediately got on the defensive. Her reddened, shiny and tired eyes immediately rested on Anna and they did not seem at all happy to see her.

When Elsa finally saw that Anna had begun to regain consciousness, she grimaced in pain. Anna immediately started to say something, but before she could only think of opening her mouth, Elsa raised her bare hand and slapped her with such anger and force that Anna was numb to look at her with the five fingers of her hand imprinted on her skin. Anna felt her sore cheek, incredulous.

"You beat me up." Murmured Anna in an uncertain voice, as if she didn't believe it either. "You beat me!" Anna saw Elsa cross her bare fingers, wounded and bleeding between them and grit her teeth as if she were contingling from beating her again. Elsa coughed heavily, covering her lips. "How... how dare you!"

"Hold your tongue. I am the authority here, you know?". Elsa asked, slapping her voice angrily pointing a finger at her, and Anna, who was looking forward to venting the fear and anger she had accumulated in the last few days, slapped the woman's hand away. The two looked at each other, but it was Anna the first to begin. She took Elsa by the wrists and the two began a close fight over which of the two should have had the lead, but they were both exhausted and the fight felt more like a quarrel between children. They pushed each other, pulled their hair, but in the end it was Anna who won. She took Elsa by the hair of her forehead and hit her head against the wood of the carriage. The blonde could only make a grimace of pain, but she did not make a sound. She didn't want to give Anna that satisfaction.

Anna kept her like this, looking at her. She didn't know what took her. Maybe it was adrenaline or maybe fear, but her body moved on its own. She grabbed Elsa's face and kissed her forcefully, pushing her against the back of the seat, forcing her to be still. Anna's heart began to play a victorious fanfare. Haha! She made it! Elsa, however, did not want to play that game and the kiss lasted very little, because the girl bit Anna's lips strongly to the point of making her bleed. Anna then drew aching, licking her lips with her tongue. Blood began to drain on her chin. The taste of rejection invaded her tongue.

"You don't think I can play this game, huh? Bitch?" Asked the redhead angrily. "I've been locked in a crate for days! I'll show you who's in charge." She growled and started to take Elsa by the wrists again, but the girl pushed her away.

"I don't want to kiss you!" Elsa exclaimed, and her voice suddenly trembled. Anna's grimace, from one of anger became of confusion. "Have you... Do you have any idea... how worried I was for you? You're a child!" Elsa began panting and Anna feared Elsa would slap her again, so she closed her eyes and recoiled, hoping Elsa would be lenient. But then she opened her eyes again, in disbelief, and was stunned when Elsa not only didn't hit her, but curled up on herself and began to sob. "I've been looking for you for three days... I thought you were dead!"

Anna felt her heart clench and swallowed weakly before stretching out towards Elsa and placing her hand on the girl's leg. Anna convinced her to open up and Anna squeezed her for her life, resting her head against her legs. Elsa didn't object this time. Anna stayed that way, holding back her tears over the nightmare she had just escaped, while Elsa stroked her hair. After the anger, she would have nothing left but cry, but Anna did not. Elsa, on the other hand, wept silently for minutes, then Anna heard her swallowing and returning to herself. They didn't look each other in the eye for at least ten minutes. 

"Anna...". Elsa began at the end in a gentle tone, continuing to comb her with her hands. "I'm sorry about what happened, I... It's all my fault." She said bluntly. "I shouldn't have let you go. At night alone...". Elsa whispered to the woman. "I should have protected you. If Olaf or Kai hadn't been there, what would have happened to you? You'd be dead... and I could never forgive myself." This time Anna really made her angry. "I don't want to have another death on my conscience. Not yours, do you understand?" Elsa asked now.

"Yes madam..." Anna whispered with her suffering voice.

"Will you be careful from now on?"

"Yes madam." Said Anna obedient and Elsa finally seemed to catch her breath. She pulled Anna's hair back, tears still streaming down her cheeks and trembling lips. Anna had never seen her so mad since she knew her. "I'm so glad to see you again. Thank you for saving me." She said, and Elsa looked at her mortifiedly. Swallowing Anna boldly reached out a hand to that of the mistress. Her heart in her throat made her feel self-conscious again. Anna paused long before their fingers could touch each other and placed her hands on her legs instead. The mistress was completely unaware of the inner battle that was taking place within her. 

"I didn't save you, Anna." Elsa said now suddenly wounded. "I almost killed you today." She said, and Anna saw tears streaming her cheeks again. "I almost drowned you." She sobbed. "I didn't think the boat would capsize..." Elsa opened her mouth a couple of times and closed it without ever finishing the sentence. "All I do is kill the people I love, you know? And you go looking for death as if it were a game!" Anna suddenly felt guilty. She shook Elsa's hand and carried it to her cheek, pulling it towards her. She took Elsa's face in her hands and kissed her again, gently this time and she let her do it. Anna felt her heart on the verge of bursting. "We shouldn't do this, Anna..." whispered Elsa and Anna had like a kind of dejavu. "You almost died today."

The carriage stopped suddenly, almost causing them to fall. Elsa went down first and Anna hurried to follow her. Anna saw her go straight to Kai, tell him something and then, unexpectedly, fall to the ground like a puppet. Everyone panicked, including Anna, but she didn't have time to find out what had happened because two servants grabbed Elsa by the shoulders and dragged her away.

  
  



	11. Fever

Chapter 10

**Fever**

Anna found herself in her bed, safe and warm. A doctor sitting next to her on a chair held her upright and was wrapping a band around her head. When he was done he gently placed Anna against the pillow and took her wrist to check that her heartbeat was regular. At this moment in the background Kai could be heard screaming in the other room, through the small door open to the mistress’s room. Mistress they painstakingly forced to regain consciousness.

"Did you jump into the water?" Kai's voice asked incredulously. “Are you crazy? You are weak of constitution! Do you want to die? ".

"Lower your voice, Anna might hear you." The mistress replied in a rasping voice. “And then I'm the mistress. You shouldn't be discussing my choices with me. I have my reasons." She said angrily again, but the lecture was blocked by a strong cough from the girl.

“Your majesty, forgive me, I didn't want to make you nervous but I do it for your good. You should take better care of yourself. Rest or you will get sick. We will call you when Miss Anna wakes up. Please". The man was heard insisting. "Gerda, keep an eye on her." And the mistress had to give in because footsteps were heard and Kai entered Anna's room. "How's it going?" He asked the doctor and he looked at Anna smiling.

"She's awake and perky." He said and Kai motioned for silence.

“Don’t let the mistress hear you, for goodness sake. It is already a lot if I managed to persuade her to sleep. That girl will be my death." He said exasperated. "How are Anna’s conditions?". The doctor grimaced and rocked his head uncertain.

"She has a small concussion, but apart from that nothing that a few days of sleep can’t cure." Calmly explained the doctor and suddenly got to his feet. "Can I talk to you outside, Mr. Kai?" He asked and the two men went outside, closing the door behind them, which however remained ajar. Anna heard them chattering outside and their voices muffled. Nothing that could help her.

"How's the girl really doing?" Kai asked heartily and the doctor repeated the exact words he had said inside.

“However, I worry about the mistress. Call me if there are any problems. With her constitution, she is likely to get pneumonia and we don't want her to stay in bed for another month, right ...? ”. The two continued to speak for what seemed like centuries, then Kai came back in with a funeral face, closing both doors as best he could. He sat down in his usual chair and looked at Anna with an accusing look.

"Do you know what you've done?" Kai asked Anna and she shook her head. "You have endangered yourself and the mistress." The man insisted. “She spent the last three days looking for you. What do you have to say in your defense? ".

"I didn't mean to, Kai." It was the girl's tremulous reply. “They stole our boat. Do you think it was fu ... " Anna answered with a hint of anger, but Kai did not let her finish the sentence. He grabbed Anna by the arms with such force that he sat her down. He looked at her with a fatal look and Anna, for a moment, had to admit that she was terrified.

“The mistress dived into the sea for you. At the very least, you could show her some gratitude, knowing that she could get sick. Especially after you put her in this situation to give vent to your youthful instincts." Anna looked at him incredulously and blushed with anger and embarrassment together. She immediately started to retort, instead to surprise them was the unexpected visit of the mistress.

"Kai, I want to talk to Anna." The woman said and he got up incredulously.

"You should sleep ...."

"Kai". The blonde insisted in a damn serious tone and this had to be enough to put him back on track. Kai immediately let go of Anna, bowed and ran away, perhaps fearing a lecture. But Anna knew it wouldn't end there. Anna watched the mistress incredulously enter the room, almost sneaking, closing the door behind her. Her wet hair was pulled into a bun and her eyes were so red that they made the blue of her irises stand out. Anna watched her approach as she watched an angel descend from paradise and watched her sit on the chair with an absent look and head down. They remained silent for what seemed like centuries, then the mistress swallowed and shook her hands. "I heard ... that you have a concussion ...". She began weakly, but never finished the sentence and Anna was left with the doubt of what the woman really wanted to ask her.

"I heard you could get pneumonia...". Anna replied mortified and she nodded weakly. Neither of them wanted to talk about the elephant in the room and they stood motionless for a long time looking at each other, as if it were a silent war to decide which of the two should speak first. It was Anna who looked away first and, knowing that the mistress had just won, Anna feared the moment when the woman would decide which topic to start with. And she didn't disappoint her. Elsa got straight to the point. She stood up, came to sit on the bed next to Anna and she made room for her.

"I'm sorry for beating you today." The mistress said gently. Anna saw her reach out and almost touch her red and swollen cheek, but when she was about to touch Anna she withdrew her hand, as if she had shaken herself. "It will never happen again, I promise you."

"And what about the kiss? Will that happen again?”. Anna asked immediately with hope. She did not know exactly what had given her the courage to take the mistress's hand and squeeze it in hers, when the woman tried to escape. Maybe it was the awareness that she too had feelings for Anna, but the girl was not sure. "Elsa." When she finally called, Elsa looked her in the eyes. Olaf's little game had worked on her too.

"No". It was the simple answer.

"Why?". Anna asked disappointedly and she laughed incredulously shaking her head. "I'm serious. I will also deserve an answer, right? ”. Tried the girl and the mistress made a face.

"Anna, don't you hear what they say?" She asked pointing to the window. “They say that whoever touches me dies and don't tell me you haven't heard it because I wouldn't believe you. I…".

"I'm talking about you, not them." Anna snorted angrily. "You believe it?".

"Me?". Elsa in turn asked with large eyes like gravy boats, pointing to her chest with her index finger.

"Yes, you". Anna insisted and Elsa looked at her uncertain. "You act as if you believe it." The mistress laughed weakly and shook her head.

“Don't be silly Anna. In my position I cannot afford to waste time following these useless rumors".

"Then kiss me." Anna said sitting up and she felt her stiffen. “And then we are alone here. Who will ever know? Kiss me Elsa." The girl insisted and the woman turned white. “You are afraid that those legends are true, admit it." Anna said worriedly and the mistress shook her head.

"It is better not to challenge fate, Anna". She confessed at the end more and more pale. "Don't worry about me. I'm used to it. People always seem to want to keep me away ...".

"I'm not doing it for you!" Anna blurted out angrily making her jump. "I'm doing it for myself, to understand if I ...". Anna was speechless, unable to finish the sentence. “I could have had a man. Make a normal life, you understand? You think I don't want to, huh? I need security." Anna insisted and Elsa looked at her with growing surprise. "Kiss me Elsa, or I swear I will pack."

"You are aware that if the legends were to prove true, you would be making a suicidal wish right now, right?" Asked the woman and Anna snorted, rolling her eyes. “You are silly Anna. A silly girl "

"For God's sake!". Anna exclaimed expectantly, spreading her arms, but the woman did not seem to want to give in as easily as Olaf had said it would be. Anna then grabbed her by the shirt, before pulling her towards her and pressing her lips to hers. Elsa was stunned for just a second, then melted like butter in the sun. She let out a faint moan and squeezed Anna's face in her hands. Anna's heart began to make a series of dips. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity, then separated and Anna rested her forehead on Elsa's. They looked at each other and Anna smiled. "Oh Elsa ... I ... I really love you." The girl whispered and without realizing it she made the wrong move. Elsa's eyes filled with terror.

"We can't do it, Anna ...". Elsa said and without giving her time to stop her, she ran away and closed the small door that separated their rooms behind them.

"Elsa!". Anna yelled, but the woman did not go back. Anna was forced to stand with a shaky step, but when she got to the door, she found it surprisingly closed. She didn't even know there was a key! Anna tried to open it several times and was eventually forced to knock. Nobody opened them. Anna only heard Elsa sobbing on the other side. What had she done! Anna punched the wall angrily and threw herself on the bed. Everything had gone down the drain!

  
That same evening Olaf came to visit Anna. He had a large band tied around his head and had suddenly become silent. The whole time they stayed together they stared at each other without speaking. Maybe Olaf felt guilty about what had happened, but if it was so he never told her. He sat on that chair looking at his hands without moving for hours. It was only when it was finally time to say goodbye that the boy opened his mouth.

"I hope to see you soon, but if it doesn't happen, I wish you a good recovery, young miss."

“Why shouldn't we meet again? Olaf? ". Anna asked worriedly.

"The mistress removed me from my position." Olaf just said and Anna covered her lips in disbelief. Then Elsa was serious! "She doesn't consider me a capable escort." He said mortified.

“I'm sorry Olaf. I'll try to talk to her, I ... ".

“You don't have to worry about me. I was wrong. It is right that I pay. I'll find another job." The boy said with surreal calmness, while Anna was upset and angry. "In the meantime, you need to think about your health."

“I'm sorry I got you so many problems. I'm serious". He smiled, came to kiss her forehead and when he was satisfied he bowed and went to the door. “We could see each other secretly. The mistress does not have to know. To hell with her and everything that concerns her!". Anna whistled angrily and he looked at her as if a second head had grown on her neck. He didn't believe it either. “She probably did it to punish me. That ... that witch! " Olaf immediately raised his hands in defense, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

"What happens to you? This ... is not what I remembered of the last night we talked." He sincerely confessed, then approached and conspiratorially and added. “Someone could hear you. You will get into trouble."

"May they hear me!" Anna exclaimed and burst into tears. Those same tears that she had held back all day for anger and fear and why not, even the bitterness of refusal. "Oh, Olaf. I told her I loved her ... how could I be so stupid! " The boy's expression softened and came to embrace her. He stroked her hair gently and sighed resting his head on Anna's.

"Sweetie ... I know how it feels. Rejection is never pleasant." He said and Anna felt guilty twice. “Now I really have to go. Mr. Kai wouldn't appreciate of me being here again. In the meantime, do you want advice from me?”. He asked and Anna nodded. “You should wait. Some things are better with time." He said and went off closing the door. Here Anna had run away from her only friend in Tromso.

  
END OF FIRST ACT.

**So… here we are. End of first act. Hope you liked the story so far. I will take some time for the next chapters. I want them to be top quality, since I noticed the last one were a little too short for my liking. Let me know what you think and if you have questions you can always contact me. I’ll stay in contact. Thank you guys and girlz. Love you all -.**


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